Bid to save Raleigh’s Nottinghamshire legacy launched after bike giant collapses
Broxtowe council leader calls for government intervention to bring the iconic brand back to its home county
A last-ditch effort to salvage the Nottinghamshire legacy of the iconic bike company Raleigh could be made after it went into administration.
Raleigh originated in Nottingham in 1887, where the renowned bike company was once the world’s largest and used to employ thousands of people.
At its peak in the 1970s, more than 13,000 people were employed at the firm nationwide, and around 8,000 staff worked across sites on Triumph Road in Nottingham. Its Nottingham factory closed in 2002, and manufacturing moved overseas.
Raleigh was purchased by the Netherlands-based Accell Group for around €60 million in 2012. This was renamed Accell UK & Ireland Ltd in 2025.
But the firm appointed administrators earlier this month, with the Dutch company announcing it could not resolve its financial problems. Accell Group chief executive Jonas Nilsson said it was a “deeply sad and frustrating situation”.
The company said that, despite its best efforts to restructure, it had not found a viable way to continue operations.
Now, a Nottinghamshire council leader has called on the government to intervene to help preserve the company’s name.
Broxtowe Borough Council leader Milan Radulovic (Brox Alliance) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the authority was considering approaching the government to help buy the name ‘Raleigh’ from the administrators.
He said: “It’s for Broxtowe Borough Council and Raleigh to have a joint approach, go to the Secretary of State for trade and industry and ask if they can salvage the legacy name ‘Raleigh’ back from the administrators.”
The leader said council officers were in contact with the company to discuss how the cycle brand could return to its home county, potentially in partnership with a Raleigh museum to honour its heritage.
The leader says that, at this stage, it is “just an idea,” and the authority should be looking at “constructive ways” to bring business to Broxtowe and return investment to the country.
He added: “It needs government intervention. We need the government to start supporting British industry, instead of allowing it to be sold up and broken up overseas.
“The government has a major opportunity to work with the local authority and Raleigh, one that would last generations to come and bring jobs into this country – that’s what patriotism looks like.”
At present, the leader says the concept would include manufacturing, assembly and a bike museum to “protect the heritage” of the brand.
Cllr Radulovic also says there may already be a suitable option within Broxtowe Borough for Raleigh to move into – right next to Bennerley Viaduct’s new visitor centre in Awsworth – which could be made ready “immediately”.
Known as the Iron Giant, the wrought-iron Bennerley Viaduct, which connects Nottinghamshire to Derbyshire, has recently benefited from a revamped site, with a new visitor centre, five new industrial units, and an accessible ramp path.
He said: “We could relocate it to a suitable premises… we can facilitate the move into a premises in the industrial units and also help to create a cycle museum there to help stimulate further interest in the Bennerley Visitor Centre as well.
“I certainly believe it would be a major name again, given the right help and stimulation, where it’s not in the hands of a holding company that treats it as an asset.
“We want jobs. We need jobs in this country. We need training, education – if we don’t have something to do in manufacturing, what’s the point in having training opportunities for people?”
The brand’s parent firm, Accell, has in recent years undertaken a restructuring, confirming in 2024 that there would be redundancies in Nottingham.
It ended up leaving its headquarters in Church Street, Eastwood, to move into Durban House in the town, with Broxtowe Borough Council acting as the company’s landlord at this site.
At the end of 2023, the firm had 130 employees, which was 33 fewer than in 2022, as revealed in its financial statement released in 2025.
The statement also showed that for 2023, Accell UK & Ireland recorded a loss of more than £30 million before tax.
The LDRS approached the Department for Business and Trade for comment on these early plans and whether the government would consider working with the council to help bring Raleigh back into the country.
The department said it would not be able to offer a comment on any purchase of the company brand at this stage, but an Insolvency Service spokesperson said in a statement: “The Redundancy Payments Service is aware of claims relating to the insolvency of Accell UK & Ireland Ltd (trading as Raleigh) and is working with the appointed insolvency practitioner to process these claims, which will be completed at the earliest opportunity.”
A separate government spokesperson said in a statement: “While this is a commercial decision for Raleigh, we understand that this will be a concerning time for workers and their families.
“A broad range of support is available for those affected. Acas can also provide employees and employers with free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.”
A formal statement from a spokesperson at Broxtowe Borough Council said: “Durban House was provided on a licence to help Raleigh retain their HQ in Nottinghamshire following a company re-organisation.
“The council and its partners have offered support to the administrators and remaining employees to explore any practical or positive outcomes. This includes an offer of support to former employees, whose futures are of paramount concern.
“Cycle manufacturing in Broxtowe goes back to at least 1878 and has been a key part of the Borough’s heritage. Therefore, the council are committed to taking any action that could maintain the legacy of the brand in the local area and bring economic activity to hard-pressed areas like Eastwood.
“We note in France and Germany, for example, rules work differently for companies and heritage assets in a similar position. The council will be writing to all interested parties and government departments to explore this further.”
Accell’s administrators were contacted for comment on the potential plans, but they did not respond by the time of publication.