Raleigh redundancies confirmed at Eastwood base as bike manufacturer to relocate HQ

The iconic bike manufacturer has made dozens of staff redundant

Raleigh has confirmed redundancies have been made at its Nottinghamshire headquarters ahead of its closure and relocation. The iconic bike manufacturer has made dozens of staff redundant ahead of a move away from its current base on Church Street, Eastwood to another location in the "Nottingham area".

Raleigh's parent company, Netherlands-based Accell, said the changes would better integrate its UK firm into the wider group and set the company up for sustainable growth in the future. The parent company announced the restructuring plan in November last year, with it now confirming the parts and accessories business in Eastwood will close and the facility's warehousing and logistics department will be contracted out to an external company.

An Accell Group spokesperson said: "Following the launch of a business review and employee consultation, our proposed changes to Accell’s UK operations have been confirmed and will be implemented. These changes will better integrate Accell UK into the wider Group business and position our UK operations for sustainable growth while retaining our HQ in the Nottingham area."

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In 2019 the firm employed 100 employees at the Eastwood assembly centre. Accell refused to comment on the number of job losses at Raleigh, but Nottinghamshire Live understands around 40 employees and agency workers were made redundant as of New Year's Eve.

"This has been a very difficult decision and we are supporting those impacted by the changes while maintaining our service to our bike shop partners and customers," the spokesperson added.

The firm re-submitted plans for its base in the town to be turned into 125 homes in July last year, stating it was "keeping its options open". Previously the company labelled the facility, which it moved to in the early 2000s, "outdated and inflexible" in the face of changing customer needs in 2019.

The business moved to Eastwood from its Triumph Road factory in Lenton, which later became the University of Nottingham's Jubilee Campus. At its peak in the 1970s, Raleigh employed 13,000-plus people nationwide, including about 8,000 staff based on numerous sites on Triumph Road.

Councillor Milan Radulovic MBE, leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, previously explained the site had been marked for housing since Raleigh initially shared its plans to leave in 2019. Mr Radulovic, who was involved with bringing Raleigh to Eastwood in the early 2000s, expressed his sympathies to those losing their jobs but argued any residential redevelopment would be a vital opportunity to increase social housing.

The closure of Raleigh's experience centre on Maid Marian Way was also part of the restructure. The Nottingham experience centre aimed to re-engage with Nottingham and its heritage and to showcase the new image of the brand when it opened in December 2022.