The economic downturn presents an opportunity to buy 69 travel agency companies that are “ripe for the picking”, says new research from industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing.
The study rated the UK’s top 845 travel agent companies on their acquisition attractiveness and suggested the downturn represents an opportunity for companies with courage and capital.
The 69 companies are all privately owned and are showing a serious deterioration in financial performance, says the report.
Plimsoll senior analyst David Pattison said: “What we have identified here is a group of ‘wounded animals’, many of these busiensses have a long and distinguished history, yet their recent performance has deteriorated.
“By definition these are classic acquisitions. Anyone looking to grow their own company through acquisition should be looking for businesses that are currently undervalued yet, with help, can be turned around.”
A further Plimsoll report claims 10% of the UK’s leading tour operators are also prime acquisitions after seeing more than half of their value wiped out in the past 12 months.
- Nearly 70 travel agencies are ‘ripe for the picking’. But who’ll pick them? [Travel Weekly Blog]
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