We are delighted to have supported Piper’s investment in Martin Randall Travel, the UK’s leading small group cultural tours brand focused on the arts.
Founded in 1988 by Martin Randall, it has become the most influential organisation in the field of cultural travel, offering an unequalled range of tours and events focusing on art, architecture, music, archaeology, history, gardens and gastronomy. The business will achieve sales of £17m in 2024.
The brand operates 169 culturally rich tours for groups of up to 22 clients that last 4-16 days across six different continents, but with a strong focus on Europe which accounts for 80% of revenue. Two of the most popular tours are ‘Civilisations of Sicily’ and ‘Samarkand and Silk Road Cities’.
The investment will back the current CEO, Fiona Charrington. She is joined by Peter Liney as Chair, who was previously CEO of Great Rail Journeys and is on the board of trustees of English Heritage. Martin Randall continues to be a shareholder in the business.
The investment will help the business expand its position as the leader in small group tours focused on the arts while building brand awareness across the UK, the US and Australia.
We are delighted to have Piper as our partners for the next stage of growth. There is no doubt that they have a deep understanding of what makes Martin Randall Travel so special and are focused on protecting the DNA of the brand going forward. This investment means that more people will be able to access our tours and that we can continue to expand our brilliant team to support our growthFiona Charrington, CEO of Martin Randall Travel
Martin Randall commented: ‘I have been planning my retirement for some time and am extremely proud of the work Fiona and the team at Martin Randall have done to make this possible. The business is in safe hands. I know that the team will continue to provide our customers with cultural tours of the highest quality alongside our expert lecturers, excellent tour managers and partners.’
Dan Stern, who led the deal, said: ‘We are very excited to be backing the Martin Randall Travel team for the next stage of growth. Our consumer insight work shows that people are more eager than ever to invest in their interests by seeing new countries and experiencing new cultures. As a thought leader unrivalled in its satisfaction levels among clients, Martin Randall Travel is exceptionally well placed to benefit from this pent-up demand.’
Neil Patel, Head of Financial Sponsors, ThinCats: “We’re delighted to have supported Dan, Harry and the team at Piper with their investment in Martin Randall Travel. The business is delighting a growing customer base with their unique proposition, and this new partnership will take them to even greater heights. We’ve worked with Piper on a number of transactions helping supercharge growth for some of the UKs most exciting brands."
