Raleigh just gone bust

[axel_knutt]

https://road.cc/news/raleigh-faces-admi ... roceedings

[Cowsham]

Probably as a result of trying to expand during and after covid -- anyone with a gleed of sense would know that a boom in cycle sales would only be temporary and some fallback should've been anticipated but it seems big firms are very short sighted these days.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

Raleigh are/were owned by Accell Group Holding B.V; who to quote Bike Biz:

Accell Group Holding B.V. and its Dutch subsidiaries have announced that they have been granted a suspension of payments (voorlopige surseance van betaling) by courts in the Netherlands, signalling the onset of local insolvency proceedings for the European bicycle manufacturing giant.

When I started in the cycle industry 40 years ago Raleigh were one of the 'Go to' brands for both consumer and retailer alike, they cost more than the imported competition but many were prepared to pay a premium for what they felt was a superior product. Over time their competition improved in quality but significantly they were still cheaper, the result is many felt they were paying a premium for an inferior product; seldom is that a recipe for long term success.

All is not lost I hope, it's the group that's in trouble, I'd imagine that the Raleigh name would still have enough appeal to entice a potential new owner; I would not be surprised if someone buys them.

[Nearholmer]

Yes, I expect the name will be bought, but even that has probably lost value over time as the folk memory of the all steel bicycle, built to last several lifetimes, has faded.

Even as far back as when I first bought myself a shiny new bike in the mid-70s Raleigh looked over-conservative, over-priced, and no better in quality than Puegeot, and once good-quality US-Taiwan bikes arrived they seemed very much left behind in mainstream adult markets, so you have to be getting on in years to be carrying the image in your head of the brand as being something special.

[Ferrij]

Over to you, Mike Ashley?

[Nearholmer]

He’ll have to devise a giant, composite head badge, representing all the old names he’s bought, or he could do what Raleigh themselves specialised in, and issue the same bikes under multiple badges.

Would he get Rudge, Triumph, Humber etc in the bundle, or have they already been separated from the Raleigh name?

[Ferrij]

Lapierre and Haibike also affected

[Snoopy]

Raleigh shop display sign . by rebalrid, on Flickr

[Snoopy]

Part of my collection.

Raleigh shop display . by rebalrid, on Flickr

[mjr]

Raleigh are/were owned by Accell Group Holding B.V;

and Accell were owned by USA venture capitalists KKR which probably explains the excessive risk-taking on expansion.

More detail in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... cell-group

[fatmac]

Yes, I thought I remembered them (Raleigh) being taken over by Americans....