Haven purchases first new park since Blackstone’s acquisition

• Haven strengthens portfolio with acquisition of Richmond Holiday Centre in Skegness
• Marks new chapter following Blackstone acquisition and represents the first Haven purchase in six years reinforcing its commitment to investment in UK domestic tourism
• Acquisition will take Haven’s number of holiday parks to 41, with plans to expand further in the future
• Purchase reflects demand for staycations growing significantly in recent years

Leading UK holiday operator, Haven, today announces the acquisition of its first holiday park in six years following the growth in staycations, and its first since its acquisition by Blackstone last year.

Haven has acquired multi award winning Richmond Holiday Centre in Skegness from its previous family owners, who have provided thousands of families with holidays and holiday home ownership in the area for over 50 years. With Haven’s heritage firmly embedded in family ownership, the business is in a strong position to continue to deliver the holiday experience that guests and owners have enjoyed for decades. This, together with the support of Blackstone, was a key consideration for the previous owners when considering the sale.

Situated on the Lincolnshire Coast, Richmond Holiday Centre has over 700 pitches offering accommodation for holidaymakers and holiday homeowners alike. The park has an extensive range of central facilities from pools to restaurants and entertainment venues and is ideally located a short walk from the bustling resort of Skegness with its sandy beaches and popular seaside attractions. With further investment planned, Haven will look to build on the work of the previous owners together with the learnings taken from improvements made across the Haven portfolio.

“We believe the acquisition of Richmond Holiday Centre provides us with a fantastic platform to move into one of the UK’s prime seaside locations for the first time and clearly demonstrates our commitment to the domestic tourism industry,” said Simon Palethorpe, Managing Director of Haven. “We have a proud and rich heritage of embracing and nurturing family businesses over many years and believe we are perfectly placed to take Richmond Holiday Centre forward. With the support of Blackstone, we continue to look for opportunities to expand the business further and are always open to welcoming similar businesses to the growing Haven family in the future.”

Mark Williams, representing the family owners added “It is always a massive decision to part with a family business such as this as it means so much to so many people – not just us as a family but also our fantastic staff and loyal customers – whether they are holiday home owners or visitors to The Richmond who return year after year.”

“What has been at the forefront of our minds has been to find the right “fit” in the new owner, one who understands not just the industry, but our Park in particular. We believe we have found that in Haven and that they are ideally placed to take the business forward to the benefit of all involved.

Whilst Richmond Holiday Centre becomes part of the wider Haven business with immediate effect, it will continue to trade under its existing name and website for the 2022 season. The team look forward to welcoming all those with current bookings and guests and owners will continue to have the same access to the park as they did prior to the sale.

The acquisition of Richmond Holiday Centre will take Haven’s number of holiday parks to 41 but with plans to further expand as Bourne Leisure continues to explore other potential holiday locations.