Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Raleigh Owner Accell Enters Insolvency After KKR Buyout
Raleigh is a very famous bicycle company that was started in Nottingham, England, in 1887.
It once made about one million bikes every year and gave jobs to more than 8,000 people.
A Dutch company called Accell bought Raleigh in 2012.
Later, a big American investment company called KKR bought Accell in 2022 for more than a billion pounds.
Around that time, lots of people bought bikes during the Covid-19 pandemic, but afterwards many stopped buying them.
Stores were left with too many bikes, and companies had to sell them at big discounts.
Accell tried hard to fix its money problems and even tried to find a new buyer, but no deal worked.
So Accell started a process called insolvency, where court-appointed administrators step in to decide what happens next.
The administrators will try to save the parts of the business that still work and protect jobs.
The future of the Raleigh brand is now uncertain.
Dutch bicycle group Accell, owner of the 138-year-old Raleigh brand, has entered insolvency proceedings after failing to secure a buyer.
Accell bought Raleigh for £74 million ($100 million) in 2012, a decade after Raleigh stopped manufacturing bikes in the UK in 2002.
US private equity firm KKR acquired Accell in a £1.2 billion (€1.4 billion) takeover in 2022 during the pandemic cycling boom.
KKR handed control of the business to European banks and investors earlier this year after turnaround efforts failed, and a proposed takeover by Singapore-based Dutech Holdings also fell through.
Raleigh announced redundancies in 2024 and reported losses of around £30 million amid falling demand and competition from lower-cost Chinese producers.
- Who
- Accell, the Dutch bicycle group that owns Raleigh, led by Chief Executive Jonas Nilsson; US private equity firm KKR; and court-appointed administrators now handling the insolvency.
- What
- Accell entered insolvency proceedings after exhausting all options to keep operating, leaving the future of the 138-year-old Raleigh bicycle brand in the hands of administrators.
- When
- Exact announcement date not specified; it follows Raleigh's 2024 redundancies and losses and KKR handing control of the business to European banks and investors earlier this year.
- Where
- The Netherlands, where Accell is based; Raleigh was founded in Nottingham, UK, and still maintains offices in Nottinghamshire, while most manufacturing had shifted to Hungary.
- Why
- Falling demand after the Covid-19 cycling boom left excess stock, and rising operating costs plus competition from lower-cost Chinese producers made it impossible to find a viable buyer or restructuring solution.
- Raleigh brand owner
- Accell (Dutch bicycle group)
- Raleigh acquired by Accell
- 2012, for £74 million ($100 million)
- Accell acquired by KKR
- 2022, £1.2 billion (€1.4 billion) takeover
- Raleigh founded
- 1887 in Nottingham, UK (138-year-old brand)
- Raleigh at its peak
- About one million bicycles per year; more than 8,000 employees
- Raleigh recent losses
- Around £30 million; redundancies announced in 2024
- Failed takeover bid
- Singapore-based Dutech Holdings via subsidiary Tri Star Group
- Other Accell brands
- Ghost, Lapierre, Haibike, Winora, Babboe