Flybe owner Preston Travel Group has bought homeworking company Kwik Travel and is set to make further acquisitions.
The news comes a week after Flybe announced a deal to purchase British Airways’ subsidiary BA Connect.
Managing director Kevin Duckworth said the Kwik Travel deal, completed for an undisclosed sum on Tuesday, will give the group a foothold in the growing homeworking sector.
He added: “We’ve had an exceptional year and this has given us some encouragement to move forward. We’ve had a couple of conversations with other people about acquisitions that led nowhere but I’d be quite willing to talk to other specialist niche operators.”
Kwik Travel managing director Arnold Walsh said no redundancies or management changes were expected. Its new owners also operate Preston Holidays and Amathus Holidays.
Walsh said the deal gave Kwik Travel the financial backing to increase the number of its homeworkers from 90 to around 140 by the end of next year.
Duckworth added: “We were attracted to Kwik Travel because of the quality and experience of its senior management team, the value of the brand and the exceptional quality of the homeworkers.”
It is understood Kwik Travel has been on the market for some time. Observers said the deal would secure the homeworking company’s future.
Duckworth said Preston Travel Group planned to launch a long-haul programme with Amathus in the new year. Amathus Far Away Holidays will feature the Middle and Far East.