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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Zahra Khaliq

Butlin's holiday resorts sold back to former owners in deal worth £300million

Butlin's has been brought back by its original owners in a deal worth £300million - more than 18 months after it was sold.

The iconic British seaside resorts have been purchased by the Harris Family, which helped to establish Bourne Leisure in the 1960s.

Current owners Blackstone and Bourne Leisure purchased Butlin's from the Harris Family in January 2021 for £3billion.

Blackstone have said that Bourne Leisure will continue to run Haven Holidays and Warner Leisure Hotels on completion of the deal.

Founded in 1936 by Billy Butlin, Butlin's first opened to the public in Skegness, followed by Pwllheli, which is now a Haven park.

There are now three Butlin's Resorts in Skegness, Minehead and Bognor Regis.

Together, the resorts attract over 1.5 million guests every year.

Recent bookings include Peppa Pig and Mister Maker to Peter Andre, Leo Sayer, Jason Donovan, Fatboy Slim and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Lionel Assant, European head of private equity at Blackstone, said: “Staying true to our high-conviction investment approach, we believe we are well positioned to drive the continued success of both the Haven and Warner businesses.

“Proceeds from the Butlin’s sale will enable us to continue delivering our ambitious investment programmes across both brands, supporting upgrades to the existing estates and adding new sites to the portfolio, to the benefit of millions of customers.

“Butlin’s is in a strong position to take advantage of the continued growth in the staycation market, and I have no doubt it will continue to flourish.

"We wish everyone there every success for the future.”

Paul Harris, on behalf of the Harris Family Trusts, said: “We are delighted to reaffirm our love for Butlin’s and once again be the new owners of this great brand.

“We look forward to working alongside the Butlin’s leadership team as they strive to deliver their strategic plan for the business and help them accelerate their investment plans to give our Butlin’s guests an even better holiday experience.”

The UK's biggest private pension fund, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), confirmed it was buying Butlin's underlying real estate assets for £300million in July, leaving the remaining holiday parks business still up for sale.

Paul Flaum, group chief executive of Bourne Leisure, said he was "immensely proud" of what Butlin’s had achieved over the past few years.

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