Over 60s specialist snaps up rival
Coach holiday specialist JG Travel Group has acquired Omega Holidays Group.
Cheltenham-based JGTG, which exclusively provides coach holidays in association with the National Trust, says the newly-formed group will have a turnover of more than £35 million.
It says the acquisition puts Omega Holidays and Cruise Connections in the same portfolio as Just Go! Holidays and Albion Journeys.
"These trusted brands focus on older travellers aged between 60 and 80, and will now be able to provide customers with significantly more choice and greater value for money across a wider geographic area," it said.
It said the move signals an ‘exciting period of significant inorganic growth’, backed by Kings Park Capital, a private equity firm specialising in investments in the leisure sector.
Last year, under its previous name Just Go! Holidays, the group embarked on significant growth with the private-equity backing, which resulted in the formation of JGTG.
It said this would be the first of a number of planned acquisitions into 2020 and beyond, aimed at transforming JGTG into a ‘major travel provider for the older customer’.
The company will continue to develop strong partnerships with travel agencies, it added.
Luis Arteaga, group chairman and chief executive of JGTG, said: "The combination of these two significant businesses will offer customers a wide range of unique, experiential holidays at value prices and marks the initial step in the development and growth of the ambitious JG Travel Group."
Nigel Adams, former owner of OHG, who becomes commercial director of JGTG, and remains director of Omega and Cruise Connections, said: "Together we will offer significant value to an expanded customer base and we look forward to the exciting future growth plans."
Dino Toouli, head of trade sales at Omega Holidays, added: "Commitment to our retail partners remains strong and we look forward to building this growing travel brand with their support."
JGTG’s new management team also includes Matthew Eastlake, sales and marketing director, Paul Mason, director of product and operations, Helen Moylan, human resources director, and Gary Turner, finance director.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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