The new owner of Scotland-based Argyll Holidays has become one of the UK’s biggest caravan park operators after acquiring a site in Lincolnshire.
Cove UK bought the Elms site near Skegness from an international operator for an undisclosed sum. As a result Cove is now the fifth biggest operator in Britain.
In total, Cove has purchased more than £350 million worth of property in the UK over two years, including Argyll Holidays, in February, and Medmerry Park in West Sussex, in August last year. The company is believed to have spent around £100 million on the Argyll Holidays deal.
Over the past five decades the Elms has been transformed into an award-winning residential site for the over 50s by John Kinch and his son Stuart.
The 339 home site is spread across 65 acres of Lincolnshire countryside.
Stuart Kinch said: “The Elms has been in the Kinch family for 50 years, so who we entrusted to sell the park to was very important.
“We had a lot of interest, but in the end we decided to sell to Cove Communities because of their outstanding reputation in the industry and the family friendly approach we received from their team.
“We are incredibly proud of our family’s achievements. We are sad to end our time with The Elms Retirement Village, which is a truly outstanding development; we are assured that Cove will continue on with our good work.”
Mark Seaton, Cove UK managing director, said: “Since entering the UK market we have grown to become the fifth largest resort operator, but we have ambition to grow even further in the coming months and years.”
