On The Beach plc, the online retailer of short haul package holidays, has acquired Classic Collection Holidays, the leading tour operator providing luxury short haul package holidays in a £20m deal.
The acquisition will provide On The Beach plc with access to the 5.6 million short haul beach holidays that are booked offline each year. Additionally, On The Beach will support Classic in developing a portal to provide travel agents with access to a variety of mainstream beach holiday products under a new brand ‘Classic Online’.
This transaction builds on BDO’s extensive expertise in leisure travel transactions. Other BDO travel deals include: Barrhead Travel, kreuzfahrtberater, Cruise.co, Audley Travel, Scott Dunn, Great Rail Journeys, Neilson, JAC Travel, Travel Republic, Imagine Cruising, Stella Travel, Gold Medal Traval, Essential Travel, Isango!, Explore Worldwide and IGLU.
“BDO were selected as Classic’s M&A advisors due to the impressive pitch made by Peter Hemington and Harry Stoakes as well as their team’s expertise in the travel space.
BDO led the production of marketing materials that we, as shareholders, were very proud of. BDO leveraged its strong relationships with key players in the industry in both the UK and internationally which resulted in On The Beach being selected as the best home for Classic.
We would have no hesitation in recommending BDO. Selling a private company that has been your baby for over 16 years is a difficult process and it has been great to have the support of the BDO team throughout.”
Nick Munday, Managing Director, Classic Collection Holidays Limited