The Firm is representing Bourne Leisure, a portfolio company of Blackstone, in connection with its agreement to sell Butlin’s, the British chain of seaside resorts, to a newly formed company backed by the Harris family. Blackstone acquired Bourne Leisure from the founding Harris, Cook and Allen families in January 2021, who together hold a minority stake in the business. Upon completion of the transaction, the Harris family will buy back Butlin’s operating business. Bourne Leisure will continue to operate its two heritage brands, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels.
Established in 1964, Bourne Leisure is the largest provider of holidays and holiday home ownership in the U.K. Each year, Bourne Leisure welcomes 4.5 million guests and 25,000 owners to its holiday parks, resorts and hotels and employs over 19,500 team members.
The Simpson Thacher team includes Geoff Bailhache, Antony Freeman, Paul Foote, Tara Gibbons and Adam Ismail (Corporate); Wheatly MacNamara (Real Estate); Yash Rupal, Sarah Lindley, Caleb McConnell and Ellie Verran (Tax); Antti Pesonen and Toni Prskalo (Banking and Credit); and Joshua Price (Regulatory).