Raleigh set to leave Eastwood headquarters

Iconic Nottingham bike maker Raleigh is set to leave its Eastwood base after plans were revealed to build 125 homes on the site.

The firm says it wants to remain in Nottinghamshire, but that its current base is ‘inflexible’ and ‘outdated’.

Raleigh, which has made a turn towards ebikes, is growing again with turnover up 53% over the past year.

Raleigh UK managing director Pippa Wibberley said: “The Raleigh UK business has made some considerable steps forwards in recent years; we have seen ebikes and parts and accessories become a huge part of our business.

“We have seen significant growth in eCommerce both from our own websites and from the biggest on-line players in our industry.We expect these trends to continue and so we will need bigger and better bicycle workshops, improved bulk order pallet handling capabilities and the ability to pick, pack and ship orders to meet the around the clock demands of today’s consumer.

“The current site has become too inflexible and outdated to meet our changing needs. This is why we have taken the decision to give ourselves the option to look for a different solution and one which provides us with extra flexibility as our business grows.”

She added: “Moving premises will help to ensure we stay agile and continue to support our customers and their businesses.

“This is just one element of our drive to build a strong and sustainable business for the future.

“This year will see us invest hugely in ErP, CRM, PIM and MDM which will bring us bang up-to-date in the operating systems vital to our service focus. So the site is only one part of the picture.”

Raleigh made sales of £36.7m for in 2017.