Park Holidays UK

Park Holidays UK Limited

Type	Private Limited Company
Industry	Leisure / Holiday
Predecessor	Cinque Ports Leisure Ltd (to January 2007)
Founded	1984 (original co.)
Founder	Peter Bull & Jim Watson
Headquarters	Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
Number of locations	29 caravan holiday parks in southern England
Key people	Jeffrey Sills
Services	Operation of holiday home parks
Revenue	£106.6m (2014)
Operating income	£22.6m (2014)
Net income	£16.2m (2014)
Number of employees	579 (average, 2012)
Website	www.parkholidays.com

Park Holidays UK operates 29 holiday parks in the South of England and is the largest holiday park operator along the South Coast, offering a mix of caravan and lodge holidays, touring and camping, and holiday home ownership. It has a broad range of parks in both country and coastal locations.^[1] The company is a member of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) and the National Caravan Council; all of their holiday parks have been awarded ‘Approved Holiday Park’ status by the NCC.^[2]

In 2009 the company was nominated for 'Best UK Domestic Holiday Operator' in the British Travel Awards and in 2017, global ratings and reviews provider Feefo awarded Park Holidays UK the 2017 Gold Service Award. Feefo's top-level award is made to companies which allow customers to post unedited reviews via its website, and achieved exceptionally high scoring in the previous year.

Locations

Park Holidays UK operates six Parks in Devon (Riviera Bay, Landscove, Waterside, Dawlish Sands, Golden Sands, Tarka) one in Dorset (Sandhills), one in Hampshire (Solent Breezes), six in Sussex (Beauport, Coghurst Hall, Chichester Lakeside, Winchelsea Sands, Rye Harbour Holiday Park, Pevensey Bay), six in Kent (Marlie, New Beach, Alberta, Seaview, Harts, Birchington Vale), five in Essex (Steeple Bay, Oaklands, Seawick, St Osyth Beach, Martello Beach) and four in Suffolk (Felixstowe Beach, Suffolk Sands, Broadland Sands, Carlton Meres).

Many are situated near blue flag beaches and other areas of natural and scientific interest.

History

The company was founded in the mid-1980s and originally called Cinque Ports Leisure. Frenchmans Beach, renamed Rye Harbour, was the first park to be owned, and as the company expanded to include other Kent and East Sussex parks, the name Cinque Ports Leisure was introduced to emphasize the regional base; the name being associated with the port towns that helped defend the UK during the Napoleonic wars.

The company significantly expanded in 2001 with the purchase of ten parks from Haven Holidays, which extended the company's presence west into Dorset and Hampshire and north into Essex and Suffolk. It has continued to expand over the intervening years with significant park acquisitions.

In 2006 the business was acquired by Graphite Capital, and changed name to Park Holidays UK in 2007, to reflect its expansion away from the Kent and East Sussex area, and the growing holiday and short break aspect of the business.

In 2008, the company acquired two new holiday parks in Dawlish Warren, Devon: Golden Sands Holiday Park and Peppermint Holiday Park. These were later amalgamated in 2013 to a single park location.

In November 2013, Caledonia Investments became the owners which facilitated continued investment and further acquisitions.

In December 2015, Park Holidays UK relocated its head office from Coghurst Hall, Hastings, to Glovers House, Bexhill-on-Sea with approximately 90 staff members, the first development to be completed in the newly built Bexhill Enterprise Park. Keeping with the company’s growing ambition Glovers House is a modern, low-energy building with panoramic views over the surrounding Sussex countryside, housing a three-floor, 25,235 square foot set of offices. In December 2016 it was announced that Caledonia Investments had agreed terms on a sale to Tiger Bidco Ltd, a company incorporated by Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), who remain the current owners.

Other parks locations have been added to the company over recent years. Broadland Sands Holiday Park in Suffolk was completed in December 2014. In 2015 Park Holidays UK purchased Two Chimneys Holiday Park, which was renamed Birchington Vale, to reflect its location in the tranquil North Kent countryside.

In June 2017, Park Holidays UK purchased Carlton Meres in Suffolk, just ten miles inland from the picturesque seaside town of Aldeburgh. In August 2017, the company bought Martello Beach Holiday Park (renamed as Pevensey Bay Holiday Park) near Eastbourne, East Sussex. In May 2018 they purchased another park named Martello Beach Holiday Park (keeping the original name) which is next to their St Osyth Beach resort, currently making it the 29th holiday park to join the group.

Over the last 5-10 years Park Holidays UK have carried out major refurbishments to its holiday parks, in particular focusing on infrastructure, clubhouses, new swimming pools, additional facilities, and upgraded holiday accommodation, with a strong focus on developments for luxury lodges.

Facilities

Though each park varies, most offer a (heated) swimming pool, clubhouse and restaurant, along with a mix of other traditional holiday park facilities ranging from Adventure Playgrounds, Arcades, Crazy Golf Courses, Fishing Lakes, Tennis Courts, Climbing Walls, Segway Hire, and more.

Entertainment

Park Holidays UK is also well known for its 3 character mascots; Loopy the Rabbit, Cyril the Squirrel and Penny Prickles, a hedgehog. Park Holidays UK has also featured visiting children’s artists as diverse as PAW Patrol, Timmy Mallett, Peppa Pig, Basil Brush, and Pip Ahoy in recent years.

They also have family entertainment in the form of live shows, cabaret acts and (occasionally famous) visiting performers.

Holiday Home Ownership

Park Holidays UK offers holiday home ownership at all 29 of its parks, including two that are now operated exclusively for owners; Oaklands Holiday Park in Essex, and Beauport Holiday Park in Sussex.

Holiday Parks

Park Holidays UK operates 29 parks across seven counties.

References

External links

• Official website