Iglu boss outlines global ambitions following £100m Flight Centre deal

Online cruise and ski specialist Iglu has set its sights on global expansion following its sale to Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group.

 

Announced on Wednesday (December 10), the £100 million deal sees Iglu chief executive David Gooch continue to lead the business, with the agency forming part of Flight Centre’s global leisure division under its chief executive James Kavanagh.

 

Gooch told a Travel Weekly webcast: “We have got very strong position in the UK market and a little bit in Europe; Flight Centre comes with a very strong position in the markets that they’re in.

 

“They’ve also got a presence in the US, and then for us, that means that we’ve really got an opportunity to join together and genuinely create a world-leading cruise online retailer.”

 

Gooch said discussions are now starting about the expansion, “whether it’s the iglu.com brands or whether it’s leveraging the technology platform, because we have got our Planet Cruise brand as well, and Flight Centre Travel Group operate quite a number of cruise brands”.

 

More: Iglu acquired for £100m by Flight Centre Travel Group

 

“Now work starts around how we really make the most of the opportunity,” he said.

 

“Flight Centre are a much bigger business, so that opens a lot of opportunities for us in terms of areas where we didn’t necessarily have as many relationships or as good an opportunity in terms of the supply side or even the destination support.

 

“If I think about our package business, that will open up a lot of opportunities, and from a customer’s perspective, that’s where we can really offer the most bespoke holidays.”

 

Kavanagh said Flight Centre has a “really firm aspiration and strategy to grow the cruise category”, adding: “We have really been investing in a number of businesses, brands, and have been accelerating our growth in this space.

 

“The UK was an obvious opportunity, and we looked at a number of different companies, and Iglu is clearly the standout.

 

“This was a perfect fit to be able to continue our growth aspirations with an incredible company like Iglu.”

 

He noted how the Flight Centre Travel Group has developed a diverse brand portfolio since it started in London back in the 1970s.

 

Also in the UK, it has acquired Scott Dunn to move into the luxury segment and Cruise Club UK, to build its packages business.

 

It has the My Cruises brand in Australia, a business that has grown 10-fold “over the last few years”, he said, adding: “Our plan was to export that model into the UK.

 

“But then we needed to grow more channels. We wanted to invest in more capability, and Iglu is a natural fit.”

 

He hailed Iglu’s management team and the “capability” of the business, telling the webcast: “When we look at any business, it’s a variety of elements. It’s the growth profile, it’s the opportunity and all of the assets that come with it.

 

“And Iglu’s technology is, in our eyes, far superior. It’s one of the leading cruise technology companies that we could see, not just in the UK, but in many different countries.

 

“We believe there is a great opportunity to work with Iglu’s technology and blend that into the Flight Centre Travel Group and help us grow even more great supply partnerships [and] a significant customer base. We just see so much potential.”