Are you a bike rental professional? Want to open your own bike rental shop? Do you sell bikes and want to start renting them too?
In short, if you're looking for information on legal structures in the bike rental sector in France, this article is for you!
1. The legal status of your bike rental company: a crucial choice you can't afford to overlook ☝️
Choosing the right legal status is one of the most important steps when setting up a business. Picking the structure that best suits your bike rental business is key to its long-term success. Don't panic, we explain EVERYTHING below!
Most bike rental businesses choose to set up a company. A company separates your personal assets from the business's assets. Your company will have its own legal personality 😁
"At Lokki, we see that 68% of our rental businesses operate as an SARL." Raphael Masbou, CEO & Founder of Lokki
When you set up your company, you will have to choose the legal form that best fits your situation, your needs, your plans and your ambitions. In France, you can choose between several legal structures: SARL, SAS, EURL, SASU...
2. So which legal status is best for my bike rental company?🚲
👉 If you want to start your bike rental company with OTHER PEOPLE, you can choose between an SARL (French private limited company) and an SAS (French simplified joint-stock company).
- SARL: The favourite status of shopkeepers, it offers a secure operating framework.
- SAS: Good social protection in exchange for contributions that are often considered high.
👉 If you want to start your bike rental company ON YOUR OWN, you can choose between an EURL (single-member SARL) and an SASU (single-member SAS).
- EURL: Low social security contributions but strict rules.
- SASU: Higher social charges, but better social protection and more flexibility in how the company runs. Other options exist, such as the micro-enterprise, the sole proprietorship (EI) or the limited liability sole proprietorship (EIRL).
Want to become a bike rental business? Click here
3. You sell bikes and want to add bike rental to your shop? Here's what you need to know about the rules 🤔
If you run a bike shop, you won't need to set up a new company for your future bike rental business.
👉 New activity and APE code
A company can only have one APE code (the main-activity code assigned to every business in France), even if it carries out several activities. The APE code must match your company's main activity.
Here are a few cases to make things clearer:
- If bike rental becomes your company's main activity → You will need to change your APE code.
- If bike rental is only a secondary activity in your bike shop → You don't need to change your APE code.
- If you change activity completely and only offer bike rental → You will need to change your APE code.
Take the time to choose the legal form that best suits your bike rental business: it has a direct impact on the company's tax regime, the directors' social security scheme and the amount of contributions.
Want to renew your bike fleet? Looking for suppliers for your future bike rental business? Click here
.png)
