Mergers and acquisitions

Flight Centre Travel Group acquires Iglu ending two-year search for buyer

Iglu chief executive David Gooch will continue to lead the business once the acquisition has been concluded on Thursday (11 December)

Founders to stay on with family-run agency of 40 years after sale

The agency was founded in 1985 by brother and sister Lee Tate and Lisa Halliday, and will continue to be run by Lee and his team

Travel Counsellors' ranks swell to nearly 4,000 following acquisition of Canadian agency

The deal creates a homeworking operation with total annual sales in the region of £1.5 billion

Garstang Travel owner Nicole Eaves sells up to Althams Travel after 42 years

Garstang will continue to trade under its existing name and branding, and in the same premises, as part of Althams Travel Group, with all nine members of the team staying on

Irish agency Best4Travel grows retail network by 50% with acquisition

Ireland’s Best4Travel has acquired Just Split Travel Group and its five branches as part of its expansion mission

Dnata to close B2C Travel Republic and Netflights brands amid 'changing market'

Gold Medal parent says consultation under way with affected staff following 'detailed review of the group's UK-based travel businesses'

Guest scores and passenger numbers soar following Ambassador Cruise Line-Compagnie Francaise de Croisieres merger

The group said there merger has created a 'financially robust and resilient organisation'

Hays Travel makes second agency acquisition in a week after taking on Scottish independent

UK’s largest chain snaps up Scottish single-branch agency Holiday and Flight Centre – days after acquiring Millington Travel and just a week after buying Polka Dot Travel

Hays Travel acquires Midlands miniple Millington Travel

Agency giant acquires all 14 Millington branches – its fourth retail buyout of the year – and promises staff their jobs are safe

Hays Travel snaps up all 15 Polka Dot Travel shops in latest acquisition

The travel agency will continue to trade under its own name from shops in the north west, Midlands and north Wales, with all staff remaining in their posts

Dnata weighing sale of UK leisure brands, including Gold Medal

Business as usual for UK entities insists dnata, which operates the trade-only Gold Medal brand, as well as Travel Republic, Travelbag and Netflights

Joe Ponte to leave Inghams owner Hotelplan following takeover by Kuoni parent Dertour

Business as usual for agents selling Hotelplan UK's brands, Dertour UK chief Francis Torrilla tells TTG

Kuoni parent Dertour's acquisition of Hotelplan given the green light by Swiss authorities

Dertour has been cleared by Swiss competition authorities to take over Hotelplan’s brands, including its UK arm comprising Inghams, Explore Worldwide and others

Premier Travel to take on three former Baldwins Travel branches

The agency will expand into Maidstone, Uckfield and Tonbridge

Hays Travel acquires Cruise.co.uk to expand into online cruise market

Hays hails deal as its biggest since acquiring Thomas Cook in 2019

Deal for Ireland's Grogan Travel to end 75 years of family ownership

Managing director Frances Grogan told TTG that while it was tough to sell up after 75 years, she felt new owner Frosch Ireland shared many of her agency’s values

Loveholidays tight-lipped on potential £1 billion stock exchange move

Loveholidays has declined to comment on reports it is planning a stock exchange flotation that will value the company at around £1 billion only 13 years after its inception

New home for ex-Travelopia brands Citalia, Sovereign and American Holidays

TravCorp Holdings acquires Specialist Holidays Group

'We've found the company we were looking for': Wexas buys wildlife tour op 2by2 Holidays

Going forward 2by2 Holidays managing director Claire Farley will step down as a director, but will act on a part-time consultancy basis to ensure ’a smooth transition’

Ocean Holidays refinances Covid debt following Hays Travel investment

The US specialist operator confirmed Hays will have no day-to-day operational role following the investment and its four founders will remain its majority shareholders

Hays Travel buys The Spear Travels Group's shops and homeworking network

The acquisition comes almost a year since the agency bought Miles Morgan Travel

Watchdog to probe Kuoni parent Dertour’s deal to buy Hotelplan

Switzerland’s competition authority is to investigate whether the purchase of Hotelplan by Kuoni’s parent company Dertour would create an unfair monopoly for consumers in Switzerland following the announcement of the deal in February

Adore Holidays boss hints at further retail expansion after buying travel firm

The Essex agency has completed its second acquisition in the space of two months, buying Online Travel Group and its associated brands, including ski specialist Get Skiing

National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions to enter river cruise market

The initial agreement with Transcend Cruises will run through to at least 2028