BDB Pitmans advises on two travel deals

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

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BDB Pitmans, a law firm with offices in both Reading and Southampton, has acted as advisor in two travel deals, one for for an independent tour operator and the other for a tailor-made travel operator.

The first deal involved BDB Pitmans advising Magnum Quinque Limited on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of owner-run tour operator, Africa & Beyond.

Finances for the deal are as of yet undisclosed. Managing Director Richard Russell and Sales Director Jamie Taylor are to remain employees of Africa & Beyond upon completion.

Formed in 2007 by husband and wife duo, Richard Russell and Charlotte Howell, Africa & Beyond specialise in arranging holiday experiences in Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands and the Middle East.

The company has employees located in the UK as well as in Cape Town, South Africa. Richard has 20 years' experience in tour operations, picking up the mantle from his father before him, who worked in the industry for over 40 years before retiring.

Non-executive chairman at Magnum, Ian Finlay, said: “We commend the team at Africa for all their hard work – it is evident that the company is a labour of love and we look forward to taking it into the next chapter. Our thanks also to BDB Pitmans whose proactive approach and commercial advice made a complex transaction seamless.”

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The second deal, which involved the corporate team at BDB Pitmans, was the management buyout of The Artisan Travel Holding Limited (Artisan) by Panoramic Growth Equity (Panoramic).

Artisan, founded by Ali and Kate McLean in 2002, is an independent tailor-made operator encompassing multiple travel brands, including The Aurora Zone, the UK’s only holiday firm solely dedicated to Northern Lights trips.

Other advisers involved across these deals include The Firebird Partnership, James Cowper Kreston, TL Dallas, NewCMI, David Blank Furniss, Weightmans LLP, White Hart Associates (London) Limited and Blake Morgan LLP.

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.