IN BRIEF
According to the Dutch trustees’ first public report, published on 22 September, six weeks after Accell’s bankruptcy, 60 candidates have submitted a non-binding offer to take over one or more of the group’s brands, which include Batavus, Koga, Babboe, Lapierre and Raleigh. All 344 Dutch employees have been dismissed, but 65 of them have been offered a two-month contract to sell off a stock worth €47.8 million in bikes and €38.6 million in parts and accessories at book value, according to the report. According to Bike Europe, Quanta Capital and DuTech are still in the running.
| Bankruptcy | 11 August 2026, Amsterdam court |
| Trustees | Thijs Hekman and Erik Schuurs |
| Potential buyers approached | more than 300 |
| Entered the data room | 103 (refundable entry fee of €20,000) |
| Non-binding offers | 60, as of 31 August 2026 |
| Employees dismissed / recalled | 344 / 65 (two-month contract offered) |
| Stock at bankruptcy (book value) | €47.8M in bikes, €38.6M in parts and accessories |
| Unsecured creditors registered | 434, for €38,463,486 |
| Next report | 22 December 2026 |
The Accell case is entering a new phase. The Dutch group, declared bankrupt on 11 August by the Amsterdam court, is attracting dozens of potential buyers: according to the trustees’ first public report, dated 22 September, 60 candidates submitted a non-binding offer before the 31 August deadline.
Accell: 60 offers, from a single brand to entire groups
The sale is being run with FTI Consulting as adviser, the report states. More than 300 potential buyers received a presentation of the group. Of these, 103 signed the process letter and paid a refundable entry fee of €20,000 to access the data room, the trustees specify.
The 60 offers received range, according to the report, from a single brand to groups of brands together with their stock and business. According to the report, the trustees are negotiating with the authors of the most attractive offers and are still in discussion with several parties on different combinations of assets. They point out that the funds behind the €288 million senior loan, which hold a pledge over the brands, reserve the right to make their own offer by offsetting their claim (a “credit bid”) if the offers do not suit them.
The report says nothing about the identity of the candidates. According to Bike Europe, Irish investor Quanta Capital has already expressed interest, and DuTech Holdings, which has invested in several other bicycle brands, is in serious talks with the trustees. This summer, the Singapore-based group had obtained German clearance for its takeover of Accell, before the bankruptcy.
65 employees recalled to sell the stock
On the staff side, the trustees terminated the contracts of the 344 employees of the Dutch companies by letter dated 13 August: three at Accell Group, 110 at Accell Global and 231 at Accell Nederland, according to NieuwsFiets, citing the report. With the agreement of the supervisory judges and in consultation with the banks, 65 former employees have been offered a temporary two-month contract to continue selling the bikes, parts and accessories.
This controlled wind-down, called “Trade Out” in the report, goes through Accell’s usual sales channel and its IT platform for dealers, rather than a public sale. According to Bike Europe, the bank syndicate behind the €110 million loan, which includes the major Dutch banks and Deutsche Bank, has agreed that the pledged stock can be sold normally so that business continues. At the date of the bankruptcy, this stock had a book value of €47.8 million in bikes, mostly held by logistics providers, and €38.6 million in parts and accessories, stored mainly in Apeldoorn, according to NieuwsFiets.
Suppliers reclaiming their goods
Selling off the stock faces an obstacle: around 60 suppliers have come forward to the trustees to invoke a retention of title clause, according to the report. The furniture and equipment at the Ede site, meanwhile, are going to online auction, with the site to be handed back by 30 September 2026 at the latest, the report states.
Across the seven bankruptcies, 434 unsecured creditors have so far registered claims totalling €38,463,486, according to the report. The Dutch tax authority also holds a preferential claim of €9,454,592, according to the report, which as of 22 September had not yet quantified the estate debts. The moratorium on enforcement ordered by the court runs until 11 October 2026, the report specifies, and the trustees’ next update is expected on 22 December 2026, according to NieuwsFiets.
