A leading specialist travel operator will be seeking to expand its position as an industry leader following an investment from a private equity firm advised by international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD).
Martin Randall Travel, a travel operator with more than 180 tours a year stretching from the UK and Europe to Africa, Asia, and the Americas, has been invested in by the firm's client, private equity firm Piper, with a view to continue growing the company's position in its core three markets of the UK, Australia, and America.
The investment will see current CEO, Fiona Charrington, remain in the role while former Great Rail Journeys CEO and English Heritage trustee board member Peter Liney joins as chair.
A WBD team led by partner James Cook and managing associate Joanna Norris from the firm's corporate team advised on the investment, with solicitor Danny Jeffrey also providing assistance on corporate matters. Partner Tom Caplen, associate Natalie Caple, and solicitor Aaron Danelian closely supported on the various and complex banking aspects of the transaction.
In addition, partner Ronan Lowney supported on tax and partner Charlotte Bloomfield advised on employment requirements, managing associate Paul Rosenzweig supported on pensions, solicitor Razvan Popa assisted on IP requirements, and legal director Sheilah Mackie provided commercial, IT, and data protection insights.
Partner Ashley Borthwick and managing associate Sara Jones also advised on health and safety and property matters respectively.
James Cook, partner in WBD's corporate team, said:
"Martin Randall Travel is an exciting addition to the Piper portfolio and one which already has an established presence with key audiences who know them for helping deliver high-quality international tours and their own music events which brings well known names to historic locations.
It's why we are so excited to have been able to support this investment from Piper into this company to help it further achieve it's core strategic growth goals and increase in awareness across a number of international markets."
Piper partner Dan Stern said:
“We are very excited to be backing the Martin Randall Travel team for the next stage of growth.
Our consumer insight work shows that people are more eager than ever to invest in their hobbies while seeing new countries and experiencing new cultures.
We'd like to thank the whole Womble Bond Dickinson team during this process for their invaluable legal insight. With an investment of this size and nature requiring numerous moving parts and knowledge of many areas, the team was quick, efficient, and able to ensure all angles of this deal were covered with ease."
