Leger Holidays buys coach rival Consort

LEGER Holidays, the UK’s biggest provider of European coach holidays, has strengthened its position in the marketplace with the acquisition of rival operator Consort Travel for an undisclosed sum.

The two companies offer a similar range of holidays, are based just three miles apart in South Yorkshire and were set up within a year of year other.

Leger has a turnover of around £30m while Consort has sales of more than £3m.

Leger, which is based in Rotherham and was founded in 1983, said that as part of the deal for Consort – which was established in 1984 and has its headquarters in Wickersley, Rotherham – the Consort Travel brand, which carries more than 6,000 holidaymakers annually, would be retained.

Leger acquired Consort from Linda Harper, the widow of former chairman Granville Harper and Michael Wraith, who retired from the business around seven years ago.

Consort Travel, which built its reputation on providing direct-only quality holidays at value-for-money prices, offers a range of 10 to 13-day tours, selling direct to the public through national newspaper adverts, and specialises in holidays in Croatia and Italy.

Consort is run by an all-female team headed by managing director Beverley O’Sullivan who joined the business in 1992.

Huw Williams, marketing director at Leger Holidays, said: “There are many similarities between the two businesses, not least the range and type of holidays we both provide.

“For us this represents the ideal acquisition scenario whereby we can expand our market share significantly while minimising the risk of losing any of our core business focus.

“Like ours, the Consort Travel brand has 25 years’ great heritage and that’s something we want to maintain and build on so the brand will be retained.”

In February this year Leger acquired the short breaks and Disneyland Resort Paris business of Leisure Direction after it was put into administration.