Accell, the Dutch owner of Raleigh, has initiated insolvency proceedings after "exhausting all available options" and being unable to meet its financial obligations. Accell purchased Raleigh in 2012 for $100m, but the company has experienced a difficult period with redundancies in 2024 and losses of £30m in the following year. Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and at one point employed around 8,000 people before stopping bike production in the city decades ago. Accell's chief executive Jonas Nilsson described the situation as "a deeply sad and frustrating" development.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Accell, the Dutch company that owns Raleigh, has started insolvency proceedings due to financial difficulties. The decision comes after a tough period for Raleigh, which faced redundancies and losses of £30m in 2024. Accell acquired Raleigh in 2012 for $100m but claims it's "no longer able to meet its financial obligations" despite trying to restructure the business. Raleigh was founded in 1887 by 8,000 people at its peak and was once the world's largest bicycle maker. The company had already vacated its headquarters in Eastwood, Nottingham, in 2024 due to restructuring efforts.
Written for “Raleigh Clothing Insolvency” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The use of phrases such as 'exhausted all the available options' and 'no longer able to meet its financial obligations' implies a sense of inevitability and perhaps some criticism towards Accell's management decisions, which is neutral rather than strongly critical.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.55 for article 547 · logged 2026-08-06
- Published
The company that owns iconic Nottingham bike manufacturer Raleigh has begun insolvency proceedings.
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Accell, based in the Netherlands, bought Raleigh for $100m in 2012 but said on Wednesday it had "exhausted all the available options" and was "no longer able to meet its financial obligations".
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it → base → obligations
It comes after a difficult period for Raleigh, which saw redundancies in 2024 and losses of £30m in accounts released the following year.
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which → come → accounts
Jonas Nilsson, chief executive of Accell, said it was "a deeply sad and frustrating situation".
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it → say → Accell
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and at one stage was the biggest bicycle maker in the world, employing about 8,000 people at its peak.
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Raleigh → found → peak
It stopped making bikes in the city decades ago, and in 2024 it vacated its headquarters on Church Street in Eastwood to move to new premises less than a mile away.
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it → stop → premises
Announcing plans to initiate insolvency proceedings, Nilsson said Accell had worked "to restructure [its] operations and finances".
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Accell → announce → operations
"Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the group in its current form," he said.
"
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he → explore → form
Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.
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circumstances → support → activities
