Saskatchewan Biktrix became the latest victim of theft as their warehouse in Delta, BC, was allegedly targeted. The CEO and founder of Biktrix Electric Bikes said a container filled with their latest electric bikes was stolen.
On March 19, a semi-tractor entered an insecure warehouse lot where two suspects exited the truck, connected the trailer and drove away within minutes.
“In the shipping container was 150 Biktrix electric bicycles with a declared value of $500,000,” stated the Delta Police in a statement. “The theft was captured on CCTV from the warehouse facility.”
Roshan Thomas said this theft presents a significant financial loss for his business.
“$500,000 is a lot of money. For (my) company, you’ll see we’re frugal,” said Thomas. “We don’t we don’t have a lot of money in the bank. So whatever money we have, we get new products, and then we sell them at a profit.”
Biktrix recently launched its brand-new electric bike model for pre-sale. Each bike cost about $5,500. This loss will likely affect the business’s sales of $3-4 million by the end of the year, Thomas said.
“I don’t even know yet if I’m going to get insurance coverage because (there) hasn’t been a clear-cut answer,” he said. “Small businesses like ours don’t want over-inventory stuff or ordering as close as possible to what we can sell and then running a frugal and tight ship. When we get robbed like this, (and) if this happens like three or four times, this could bankrupt a business.”
Thomas hopes by speaking out, he can find someone who can help him locate the stolen e-bikes. He added that stricter enforcement against theft is needed in hopes of preventing other small businesses from ending up in his situation.