South: IBB Law advises Wilderness Safaris on Jacada deal

IBB Law advised Wilderness Safaris on its purchase of certain assets from KPMG, acting as the administrators of Jacada Travel, to bring the Jacada brand into the Wilderness Safaris group.

The IBB team consisted of Adam Dowdney, partner, and Ami Bhatt, senior associate in the Corporate Commercial team and Richard Devall, a partner in the Employment team.

Founded in 1983, Wilderness Safaris operates more than 50 of Africa’s premier safari camps and has a reputation for service, guiding, and privileged access to the most pristine and diverse ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Proceeds from the safari experiences contribute to the conservation of more than 2.3 million hectares and fund ongoing scientific research, as well as ecological restoration.

Founded in 2008, Jacada Travel designed bespoke trips for clients all over the world, crafting travel experiences that fostered positive impacts and lifelong connections. Wilderness view the benefits of the Jacada brand joining the Wilderness Safaris’ brand as added stability, a greater commitment to sustainability and greater access to global connections for Jacada’s clients.

Adam Dowdney said of the transaction: "We were delighted to work with the team at Wilderness in this asset acquisition in what is an extremely difficult trading period for the industry. We believe this shows the innovative and creative culture at Wilderness in creating a positive outcome for Jacada and their customers during such challenging times. We enjoyed the challenge of working some very tight timelines and liaising with our clients and KPMG to get a deal across the line. We wish Wilderness every success with the Jacada brand and their ongoing business in the future."

Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness Safaris, and Nick Stone, director of Wilderness Safaris, commented: “We are delighted to have worked with the IBB Law team, in the incredibly short period of time that was available to be able to complete the acquisition of certain assets of the Jacada Brand, especially during this period of lockdowns. The invaluable input, and the constructive advice into a variety of complicated issues, was extremely helpful, and gave Wilderness the ability to complete the acquisition of these assets. The speed with which the team followed up and arranged all the agreements was impressive.”