Campagnolo Comeback: The Brand Refutes Layoffs and Confirms 13-Speed Trickledown

Today Campagnolo has issued a statement refuting reports of layoffs and confirming that there will be no loss of personnel. This is a reversal of news published by news publications, including Velo, in late November claiming that the iconic brand was going through a workforce reduction covering 40% of the workforce, or 120 people out of 300 total.

Coverage at the time followed a Campagnolo statement covered by Italian publication Il Gazzettino, and later reported by road.cc, stating “the balance sheet data until 31 May 2025 show that in the financial years 2023, 2024, 2025 the loss exceeds 24 million euros.”

The Campagnolo statement issued today calls that earlier coverage “inaccurate” and instead details a deep internal reorganization and structural pivot. It also mentions plans to expand on the 13-speed wireless technology featured in its flagship groupsets by adding more accessible price points.

What was reported previously

In late November 2025, a wave of reports covered what looked like an end to Campagnolo as we knew it. The reports made it look like the brand was in a prime position for acquisition and warned of dire community impacts. The coverage was sparked by an article in the Italian publication Il Gazzettino, which was quickly picked up by major cycling outlets.

In that original article, the language was far more than just pessimistic. Il Gazzettino presented the information as a definitive plan already in motion. The report detailed a meeting on November 25 where management explicitly told trade unions that laying off 12o employees (40% of the workforce) was necessary to avoid a total collapse of the brand’s local operations.

Il Gazzettino highlighted a huge financial loss and quoted a stark internal warning: “Liquidity, today, cannot guarantee a continuity of business under current conditions.” According to the article, the messaging from management was described as “stark,” with the company reported as saying “there is no alternative” to the redundancies to avoid “dramatic consequences for the company and for the city of Vicenza.” This painted a picture of a brand in a “sectoral tailspin,” struggling with post-pandemic inventory issues and a dwindling presence in the professional peloton.

What today’s statement says and how it corrects earlier coverage

Campagnolo has avoided the possibility of layoffs by reaching an agreement with “trade unions and social partners through a serious and shared process that also included an internal referendum.” The result of this process is “the signing of a solidarity contract and clearly ruled out any form of layoffs.” The agreement was reportedly made before Christmas.

Campagnolo is however “undergoing a deep internal reorganization that affects both its structure and the way it works.” The stated goal of this reorganization is to modernize the company through streamlined operations. Campagnolo will now “simplify, reduce decision-making layers, speed up processes, and give space to the young talents who are already part of the organization.” The company goes further by claiming “this is not a cosmetic change. It is a necessary transformation to meet the challenges of today’s market.”

These changes don’t involve any ownership changes and they keep the Campagnolo family “directly involved” with continued leadership and investment. This is a continuation of the support seen last year when the family injected a reported €10 million into the company to help remain in business through the financial challenges of the time.

Campagnolo confirms less expensive groupsets are coming

When Campagnolo launched Super Record 13 last year it clearly cemented the brand in the modern era of electronic groupsets. Super Record 13 put the brand on firm technological footing once again but it was obvious that competing only at the top-end was not a relevant long-term strategy. This was especially true as Campagnolo struggled to remain in the WorldTour.

Today Campagnolo is also confirming an obvious next step into lower markets featuring the same foundational technology. Any speculation about a mid-range move is now an official roadmap. As the company puts it “this technological platform will soon be introduced at more accessible price points. This is a key step in strengthening Campagnolo’s presence in the market and in bringing our products back onto the bikes of the world’s leading manufacturers. Many other important developments will be unveiled over the course of the year.”

This statement also means a shakeup in the groupset market for 2026. Bicycle Retailer reported in October that despite a 5% sales increase of bicycle products through the first nine months of the year “Bicycle-related operating income in the period was down 27% from the same period last year.” That paints a picture of a company working quite hard to sell existing products and it lines up with an aging product lineup. Meanwhile SRAM, as reported by SBG Media, saw Moody’s Ratings affirm “the debt ratings on SRAM as the Chicago-based bike parts manufacturer returned to revenue growth in 2025 after seeing sharp declines in earnings and sales over the prior two years.” With Campagnolo being back on solid footing, it appears the market is returning to a three-way race between the major manufacturers.