French shipping company Brittany Ferries is set to become the majority owner of Condor Ferries, which operates services from Poole, Portsmouth, the Channel Islands and St Malo in France.
Condor was originally acquired in November 2019 by a consortium comprising Brittany Ferries and the London-based Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund.
Once approved, Brittany Ferries will own 51% of Condor Ferries, with Columbia Threadneedle retaining a minority shareholding. Brittany Ferries’ current share of Condor is 29%.
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Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries, said: “We are pleased to confirm our intention to become the majority owner of Condor Ferries, pending approval from the islands’ regulatory authorities, over the next few weeks.
“Brittany Ferries has the experience, expertise and scale, along with extensive knowledge of the transport sector and customer service to implement best practices, which ultimately will result in a better service for Condor’s passengers.
“This change demonstrates our commitment to the islands, shows Brittany Ferries is adding strength and depth to the existing team and delivers continuity and resilience in the long term.”
Condor is one of the companies which is bidding to run ferry operations in the Channel Islands. Brittany Ferries is leading this bid and says it and Condor are the right operators to serve the islands.
Mathieu added: “We believe we operate exactly the right fleet for the islands: a mix of conventional freight and passenger ferries for lifeline freight and travel for islanders, alongside the high-speed vessels that are essential for supporting the visitor economies of Jersey and Guernsey.”
Justin Amey, head of sales and marketing at Condor Ferries, added: “Condor Ferries has an unshakeable mission to provide the highest-quality service to our passengers, and we are constantly adapting and evolving to ensure that we do so, a mission shared wholeheartedly by Brittany Ferries.
“From the introduction of the Condor Islander in 2023 to new, pet-friendly cabins on Commodore Clipper in 2024, Condor Ferries puts customer need at the centre of its operations.
“With rise in demand for domestic and flight-free travel, we want to assure our customers that the new ownership structure will not impact our service.”
The BBC reported that Richard Hemans, from Guernsey’s Institute of Directors, said he hoped the influence of Brittany Ferries would lead to a better customer experience with Condor.