Raleigh stopped making their iconic bicycles with all of the branding that made them special; essentially walking away from what would have remained a strong niche market. What they've continued to make are a range of generic bicycles (if it weren't for the decals & head-badges one wouldn't even know they were Raleighs), without anything special to set them apart from the competition, and that's not a winner in the general market. I'd hope that new ownership would take a page from Brooks & Sturmey-Archer and have a small heritage line to cater to the niche retro/transportation business, while providing new competitive and unique offerings to the general market.

I do find this potential Dutch takeover ironic in that Raleigh did own Gazelle for many decades.