The person who wrote (in response to a newspaper article I wrote on ebiking) did not indicate which country, but I understand the shipping problem is by air. Therefore, anywhere in Europe where a truck delivers is OK, I would assume.
As to type of battery, for a buyer's group, we recently bought 29 36v batteries from CellMan, and find the 29E in the shape of a brick to be compact enough to fit almost anywhere. Some toss them into a saddleback or pannier, others just strap them onto the rack. If someone were to get into the business, I would suggest to select this size and offer them with a handlebar/saddle bag with Anderson connector on the battery and then a 600mm cable with Anderson on one end, where the bike owner takes it to a local shop that splices it in to whatever is on their bike.
Since no one has replied knowing of such a business, I would suggest that this could be a good new ancillary business opportunity in Europe, to be run alongside a business selling and installing retro-fit kits for existing bikes. In addition to the batteries, we also took delivery of 23 Bafang BBS01 kits and find they are now simple enough to install to be a game-changer. Until now the ebike world was divided between the enthusiasts (many of whom are on this forum) willing to do a lot of fiddling, and buyers who want a simple solution and therefore buy a complete (and not very inspiring) e-bike. We just installed the kit on a new Pashley (see http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/sonnet-pure.html) which is a classic bike since 1926, instantly adding a hill-flattener option to it that is subtle but really impressive. Because the controller is built into the motor, there are very few cables coming off the bike, and there is very little to go wrong. Takes about an hour to convert. First test ride and it was clear this is a game changer in the industry. The 250W EU legal unit provides sufficient torque going up a hill, and then shifting into a higher gear gets it up to a decent speed. A business buying these motors in bulk and installing them with Cell Man batteries is feasible and should have a reasonable profit margin. There is a lot of Europe that is not flat, and this opens up those areas to bicycling for a much wider audience. That's the prime new business, probably for an existing bike shop, although in Wellington there is a fellow who started with a retro-fitting business by renting a bit of space from an existing bike shop and he is doing quite well (see http://evlab.co.nz) with a business that offers both kits and ebikes. The secondary business is the battery exchange... probably best as a buy and buy-back plan, although short term rentals for someone taking a longer trip (a bit like renting a professional camera lens for a single shoot), also makes sense.
With Europe becoming so bicycle friendly, overseas people are now selecting it for bike holidays, and some airlines will take bikes for free (Emirates, for example). However, getting the batteries around is a major problem, due to an over-reaction on the part of regulators. Hence, the potential for a side business in batteries, including buying back batteries from people who can't take them home on airplanes.
