Travel Seen, a travel company leveraging social media influencers, has made its third acquisition by acquiring a majority stake in Manchester-based luxury tour operator eShores. Founded in 2021 by Jen Atkinson, Travel Seen received an initial investment of £1.6 million from Arete Capital and later funding from Dez Derry of Blume.
This latest acquisition follows the 2023 purchases of Aquilium Club, a luxury travel agent, and Vedere, a sports and experiences tour operator. The addition of eShores, which specializes in long-haul, multi-center trips, brings the group’s turnover to approximately £20 million.
Briony Fagan of Arete Capital noted the effective M&A strategy focused on building relationships with management teams and targeting businesses with growth potential. Both Gavin Lapidus and Nadine Brown will continue leading eShores, ensuring continuity for their customers.
Get your marketing campaign funded.
marketing aceletrator programme
Apply to our marketing accelerator programme to access funding and a network of specialists.
Get Your Website Designed & Funded.
Website
Funding Programme
Apply to our website funding programme to get your business up and running - skipping financial barriers.
Atkinson emphasized that eShores represents an exciting new chapter in Travel Seen’s growth. The firm aims to build a strong travel community and disrupt the travel industry through social media, similar to changes seen in fashion and beauty.
Impact on Business Owners: Travel Seen’s strategy highlights the growing trend of acquisitions in the travel sector, creating opportunities for smaller operators to benefit from shared resources and expertise.
What do you think the impact is?
Get the impact hive newsletter
Get the most important business news in your inbox each week.
About Impact Hive
Fuelling innovative thinkers and removing barriers to drive impactful change
To drive innovative thinkers to the forefront of their industries, disrupting norms to usher in impactful change across multiple sectors, providing them with the tools, opportunities, and information needed for a brighter, innovative future.