August 12, 2026 - (The Netherlands) Global bicycle company, Accell Group, based in Heerenveen, Netherlands, and the owner of Raleigh, Lapierre and Ghost brands amongst others, has been declared bankrupt by the Amsterdam district court reports the NL Times.
The new ruling supersedes a recent a suspension of payments order from August 5 that granted Accell some protection from creditors.
The company also owns Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Haibike, Winora, Babboe and more brands, and employs around 2,000 people across 15 countries. It began suffering financial woes after the Corona pandemic that saw the company saddled with large stocks of unsold bicycles, along with a large-scale recall of Babboe cargo bikes.
Accell was acquired in 2022 by an investor group led by US-based KKR approximately EUR 1.56 billion – read more here. In 2024, the company reached a deal with shareholders, banks and other financiers to have part of its debt written off. In February 2026, Accell agreed to new terms with creditors, who were part of a new ownership group, aimed at securing the company’s future, under which KKR handed over control of the business to them.
There is also news in The Currency that Quanta Capital, a Dublin-headquartered investment and asset management firm, has confirmed its interest in acquiring Accell Group.
