Neilson Active Holidays

Sector

Travel

Deal Type

Management
buy-in/buy-out

Investment Date

2013

Exit Date

AUGUST 2018

72319
Neilson Active Holidays Limited, is one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist activity holidays. It operates in both the winter and summer holiday markets, delivering skiing, sailing and beach based activity holidays to over 90,000 customers a year.

Risk Capital Partners supported a management buy-out of Neilson in December 2013. We backed the existing management team who have both been with the business for over 25 years, and complemented them with experienced travel professionals Richard Bowden-Doyle and David Taylor, as Chairman and CEO respectively.

Why we invested:

  • Established and respected brand
  • High customer satisfaction and level of repeat bookings
  • Activity holiday sector forecast for growth
  • Development of independent operations provides significant growth opportunities
  • Highly experienced and motivated management team

Outcome:

We sold our investment in Neilson for 5.7x cost in Summer 2018, by exiting in a secondary management buyout funded by Lloyds Development Capital.

www.neilson.co.uk

 

“We have spent some time getting to know Risk Capital Partners and are excited they have decided to invest in this business. Their financial strength, business acumen and historic results in the leisure sector will be of huge value to us and we look forward to their support in helping to grow the business”

Pip Tyler
Overseas Director