1st Class Holidays to ‘scale up’ business following investment
Canada specialist 1st Class Holidays has secured a £2.5 million investment from PHD Private Equity.
The Manchester-based company will continue to be led by founders Paul Ainsworth and Sharon Mason, while investment will provide an exit for finance director and shareholder Henri Treffers.
Ainsworth said: "Over the last 20 years we have built a high-quality service offering and established a strong market position particularly in Canada.
"The backing from PHD and its partnership approach will give us an even stronger platform to accelerate our plans and take our business to a new level. It is great to be working with an enthusiastic team who share our conviction that our business can be scaled up."
Andy Dodd, partner at PHD, said: "We are investing in a well-established travel business, operating in the luxury tailor-made end of the market, and backing a remarkable management team who have created their own niche in Canada."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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