Center Parcs UK is put on sale for £5BN price tag in move that could net windfall for Canadian firm
Center Parcs UK is on sale for up to £5billion: Canadian owner puts British holiday resort chain beloved by millions of middle-class families back on the market
- Center Parcs has set up six holiday villages across the UK and Ireland since 1987
- Canadian firm Brookfield bought the holiday chain for about £2.4bn in 2015
Center Parcs UK, the holiday village chain beloved by millions of British families for its water parks, bike trails and log cabins, has been put on sale for £5billion by its Canadian owners.
The move could net a huge windfall for Canadian private equity firm Brookfield, which purchased the holiday village chain for about £2.4bn in 2015.
The firm is seeking to raise between £4bn and £5bn from the sale of the beloved theme park, according to the Financial Times.
There are six Center Parcs holiday villages across the UK and Ireland and they attract more than two million visitors every year.
It comes after Center Parcs, which first opened its doors in the UK in 1987, scrapped plans to build a brand new resort in West Sussex earlier this year.
Center Parcs UK has been put on sale for £5billion by its owners, Canadian private equity firm Brookfield
The entrance to one of the Center Parcs holiday villages in Longleat Forest, Wiltshire
The £5bn price tag is double what the resort was bought for in 2015.
After weathering the storm of the pandemic and being forced to close through lockdowns, the company bounced back to a healthy profit thanks to a boom in domestic tourism.
Known for its tropical-themed water parks, spas and offering a wide range of outdoor activities, the holiday villages have been a popular holiday destination for British families for decades.
Center Parcs has been operating in the UK since 1987, with its first location opening in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.
Center Parcs resorts are known for their tropical-themed water parks
A site in Elveden Forest in Suffolk came in 1989 and villages were since established in Longleat Forest, Whinfell Forest and Woburn Forest.
It opened its first site in Ireland in 2019, with Center Parcs Longford Forest close to the town of Ballymahon in County Longford.
Last year, the holiday chain faced backlash after it said its five sites would close from 10am on Monday September 19 ‘as a mark of respect’ following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
