Just last month Accell had its credit rating downgraded for the fourth time in a year, Fitch Ratings saying the company's "weak operating performance, tight liquidity, and negative free cash flow results in unsustainable credit metrics".In January, Accell confirmed the proposed job losses at Raleigh's head office in Eastwood, the brand's headquarters since the early 2000s, with the company expected to vacate the site in "due course". It also said its parts and accessories department would close and that warehousing would be outsourced...Founded in the 1880s, and at one point operating the largest bicycle factory in the world and employing 13,000 people across the UK, Raleigh moved from its Triumph Road factory in Lenton to the Eastwood facility.However, that base was described in recent years by Accell as "outdated and inflexible" in the face of changing customer needs, while Raleigh ceased assembling bikes in the UK over 20 years ago.
Much of this loss of market share is ascribable to imports. In 1970, the UK imported a mere 27,000 cycles – about 4% of the UK market. Meanwhile the country exported more than a million bikes, 38 times as many as it imported, and the majority of them Raleighs. By 1975, while exports remained at about the same level, there were nine times as many imports. Six years later exports were overtaken by imports, mainly from Europe and including makers such as Peugeot and Puch. From 1980 to 1986, imports accounted for about 40% of the UK market.Then came the mountain bike boom and another step change. Adding to the European imports, bicycles from the USA and Taiwan started to come in. In 1987, for the first time, UK consumers bought more imported bikes than British, and imports soon took about 60% of annual UK sales.
Raleigh was the first major UK manufacturer to offer an electric bike. Unfortunately, it was too early and too expensive to have much impact on sales, and was dropped by Rix’s successor.
.. it can be argued that Raleigh made a quite good job of the last 25 years (from 1975 to 2002). It maintained its level of production reasonably consistently. It remained the biggest UK manufacture. It retained the largest share of the UK market. Moreover, Raleigh remained the first cycle brand that sprang to the mind of most British people. Many UK manufacturers would be envious of such a record. Contrast Raleigh’s performance with what happened in the British automotive, domestic appliance, TV and audio industries.
