Travel consortium Advantage has confirmed it will not be acquired by Stella Travel Services in an email to members.
Travel Weekly reported on 8 August that the £8 million deal by the Australian operator to buy Advantage has been dropped. Rumours had surfaced in April about the buy-out but neither organisation would confirm them.
In an email to members this week, Advantage chief executive John McEwan said there was no deal on the table.
He said: “Advantage is, and will continue to be, the leading, independent travel agent consortium in the UK and the board of Advantage is adamant that this should, from a competitive perspective, remain the case.
“In fact, the Advantage Board and the senior team are currently working through the process of formulating a new three-year business plan which is wholly-structured around the Advantage organisation remaining independent, and improving the benefits to members.”
If a promising deal arose, there would be full consultation process with members, he added