Park Resorts
Encyclopedia
Park Resorts Limited is a UK
private limited company which has been owned since 2007 by the US private equity firm, GI Partners
, via the UK parent company, Dome Holdings Ltd.
The company is the second largest operator of caravan parks in the UK (after Haven Holidays) with 39 parks spanning 1,900 acres providing over 20,500 holiday home and tourer pitches. All parks are located at or near to the seaside, chiefly on the south and east coasts of England
, but also extending to Scotland
, Wales
and the Isle of Wight
. Income is generated from rentals of static holiday caravans and touring pitches, caravan and holiday home sales, and on site retail activities.
Park Resorts currently employs 1,796 people (of which 1,129 are seasonal) including the support team at their administrative office in Hemel Hempstead
, Hertfordshire. Entertainment at the larger parks is provided by TED Group and the entertainments team members are known as 'Teamstars'. The Teamstars organize games and activities for the younger children, and dress up as a host of characters including "Sparky Rabbit", his best friend "Sparkle" and the antagonistic "Naarky". Park Resorts currently has over 12,000 caravan or holiday home owners and over 500,000 rental guests a year.
. The deal was finalised in May 2001 at a reported cost of £46m.
In December 2004 Park Resorts was sold to ABN Amro
Capital for £165 million, and its activities were merged with the GB Holiday Parks business (itself bought by ABN Amro for £105m just one month previously) to form the second-largest caravan park operator. The name 'Park Resorts' was retained as the company name and brand title. CBPE continued to hold a residual investment representing a 9% stake in the enlarged group. The management team led by Mr Vaughan was retained and held a 23% stake.
In March 2007, the business was acquired in a highly-leveraged buy-out backed by GI Partners
for £440m. Whilst this was financially very beneficial to the three founders and ABN Amro it was reported that this deal left the ongoing business with close to £350m debt. Six months later the three founding directors left to be replaced by a team headed by Martin Grant from Roadchef
. Under Grant's leadership a further three sites were acquired and a number of the older GB Holiday Parks sites were upgraded.
In April 2008, GI injected £15m capital into the Parks Resorts business. In December 2008, in increasingly difficult trading conditions, GI ousted the Grant management team and reinstated the original three directors, with David Vaughan resuming as chief executive. Since then the financial position was reported to have begun to improve.
During the 2009 season Andy Edge, the Marketing Director at Park Resorts, went 'undercover' at Breydon Water, Great Yarmouth and Lower Hyde, Isle of Wight as part of the Channel 4
television series The Undercover Boss. In an interview after the show Mr Edge told how the show has generated a very positive response from both customers and staff.
In September 2009, Martin Grant, the former chief executive and his colleagues Colin Bramhall and Richard Hunt, won a case of unfair dismissal against GI Partners on the grounds of a "flagrant breach of dismissal procedures" and were awarded £45,000 in compensation.
In October 2009 a restructuring of the group's £325m debt facilities was agreed with the main creditor banks which also included a new £25m senior debt facility to allow a five year investment programme to proceed.
Two further parks were brought under the operation and branding of the group as from the 2010 season, the Bryanston Kenmore sites at Southview, Skegness
and at Manor Park, Hunstanton
, bringing the total to 39.
The director's report for the year ended 31st March 2011 details a 6% increase in turnover for the year to £158.8m and an operating loss of £9.6m but forecasts the company should return to profit in future years. In the meantime the company is dependant on the parent, Dome Holdings Ltd, to keep it a going concern.
As from the start of 2011 the company introduced the strapline
, Creating Amazing Memories, to appear below the logo of Park Resorts on all publicity material, letterheads and signages. During the week of May 9th 2011, the ITV1
programme, This Morning
, featured Park Resorts to show "the real caravan experience to viewers". This also marked the 10th anniversary of the company.
On 16 October 2011 Park Resorts was ranked 244 (2010 = 215) in the annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 league table based on Britain's biggest mid-market private companies by latest sales.
Devon
Isle of Wight
Kent & Sussex
Essex
East Anglia & Lincolnshire
Yorkshire
North East England
Scotland
Wales
( ‡ denotes parks not offering camping and/or touring facilities)
For a better experience in the holiday home business why not try
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
private limited company which has been owned since 2007 by the US private equity firm, GI Partners
GI Partners
GI Partners L.P. is a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, California and London, England.- Description :...
, via the UK parent company, Dome Holdings Ltd.
The company is the second largest operator of caravan parks in the UK (after Haven Holidays) with 39 parks spanning 1,900 acres providing over 20,500 holiday home and tourer pitches. All parks are located at or near to the seaside, chiefly on the south and east coasts of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but also extending to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. Income is generated from rentals of static holiday caravans and touring pitches, caravan and holiday home sales, and on site retail activities.
Park Resorts currently employs 1,796 people (of which 1,129 are seasonal) including the support team at their administrative office in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, Hertfordshire. Entertainment at the larger parks is provided by TED Group and the entertainments team members are known as 'Teamstars'. The Teamstars organize games and activities for the younger children, and dress up as a host of characters including "Sparky Rabbit", his best friend "Sparkle" and the antagonistic "Naarky". Park Resorts currently has over 12,000 caravan or holiday home owners and over 500,000 rental guests a year.
History
Park Resorts was created in March 2001 when CBPE (Close Brothers Private Equity), in partnership with a management buy-out team of three led by David Vaughan, decided to purchase twelve Haven freehold caravan parks from Bourne Leisure LtdBourne Leisure
Bourne Leisure Holdings Limited is a British private company which owns a number of subsidiary undertakings operating in the leisure and holiday sectors in the United Kingdom....
. The deal was finalised in May 2001 at a reported cost of £46m.
In December 2004 Park Resorts was sold to ABN Amro
ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch state-owned bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. It was re-established, in its current form, in 2009 following the acquisition and break up of ABN AMRO Group by a banking consortium consisting of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander and Fortis...
Capital for £165 million, and its activities were merged with the GB Holiday Parks business (itself bought by ABN Amro for £105m just one month previously) to form the second-largest caravan park operator. The name 'Park Resorts' was retained as the company name and brand title. CBPE continued to hold a residual investment representing a 9% stake in the enlarged group. The management team led by Mr Vaughan was retained and held a 23% stake.
In March 2007, the business was acquired in a highly-leveraged buy-out backed by GI Partners
GI Partners
GI Partners L.P. is a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, California and London, England.- Description :...
for £440m. Whilst this was financially very beneficial to the three founders and ABN Amro it was reported that this deal left the ongoing business with close to £350m debt. Six months later the three founding directors left to be replaced by a team headed by Martin Grant from Roadchef
RoadChef
Roadchef is a company which operates twenty motorway service areas in the UK. Behind Moto and Welcome Break, it is the third largest motorway service area operator .-History:...
. Under Grant's leadership a further three sites were acquired and a number of the older GB Holiday Parks sites were upgraded.
In April 2008, GI injected £15m capital into the Parks Resorts business. In December 2008, in increasingly difficult trading conditions, GI ousted the Grant management team and reinstated the original three directors, with David Vaughan resuming as chief executive. Since then the financial position was reported to have begun to improve.
During the 2009 season Andy Edge, the Marketing Director at Park Resorts, went 'undercover' at Breydon Water, Great Yarmouth and Lower Hyde, Isle of Wight as part of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television series The Undercover Boss. In an interview after the show Mr Edge told how the show has generated a very positive response from both customers and staff.
In September 2009, Martin Grant, the former chief executive and his colleagues Colin Bramhall and Richard Hunt, won a case of unfair dismissal against GI Partners on the grounds of a "flagrant breach of dismissal procedures" and were awarded £45,000 in compensation.
In October 2009 a restructuring of the group's £325m debt facilities was agreed with the main creditor banks which also included a new £25m senior debt facility to allow a five year investment programme to proceed.
Two further parks were brought under the operation and branding of the group as from the 2010 season, the Bryanston Kenmore sites at Southview, Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
and at Manor Park, Hunstanton
Hunstanton
Hunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
, bringing the total to 39.
The director's report for the year ended 31st March 2011 details a 6% increase in turnover for the year to £158.8m and an operating loss of £9.6m but forecasts the company should return to profit in future years. In the meantime the company is dependant on the parent, Dome Holdings Ltd, to keep it a going concern.
As from the start of 2011 the company introduced the strapline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
, Creating Amazing Memories, to appear below the logo of Park Resorts on all publicity material, letterheads and signages. During the week of May 9th 2011, the ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
programme, This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
, featured Park Resorts to show "the real caravan experience to viewers". This also marked the 10th anniversary of the company.
On 16 October 2011 Park Resorts was ranked 244 (2010 = 215) in the annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 league table based on Britain's biggest mid-market private companies by latest sales.
Holiday Parks
Park Resorts offer holiday accommodation, holiday or seasonal touring pitches or holiday home ownership. Static caravans for holiday let and ownership are available at all 39 Parks. Touring and/or camping pitches are available at 24 of the Parks. Chalets and holiday lodges are also available for hire and to buy at selected Parks. Most Parks are open from around 21 March to 31 October, and slightly longer for their owners. The following sites are currently operated,Devon
- Bideford Bay (near ClovellyClovellyClovelly is a village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. It is a major tourist attraction, famous for its history and beauty, its extremely steep car-free cobbled main street, donkeys, and its location looking out over the Bristol Channel. Thick woods shelter it and render the climate so...
) ‡
Isle of Wight
- Thorness Bay (near CowesCowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
) - Lower Hyde (ShanklinShanklinShanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the...
) - Landguard (ShanklinShanklinShanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the...
) - Nodes Point (near BembridgeBembridgeBembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
)
Kent & Sussex
- Camber Sands (near RyeRyeRye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
) - Romney Sands (New RomneyNew RomneyNew Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to be silted up. New Romney was once a sea port, with the harbour adjacent to the church, but is now more than a mile from the sea...
) ‡ - St Margaret's Bay (near DoverDoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
) ‡ - Warden Springs (Isle of SheppeyIsle of SheppeyThe Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
) - Shurland Dale (Isle of SheppeyIsle of SheppeyThe Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
) ‡ - Ashcroft Coast (Isle of SheppeyIsle of SheppeyThe Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
) ‡
Essex
- Waterside at St. Lawrence Bay (near MaldonMaldon-Placenames:* Maldon, Essex is a town on the Blackwater estuary in England** Maldon , a local government district based in Maldon, Essex** Maldon Town F.C., an English football club** Maldon *The Battle of Maldon...
) - Coopers Beach (Mersea IslandMersea IslandMersea Island is the most easterly inhabited island in the United Kingdom, located marginally off the coast of Essex, England, to the southeast of Colchester. It is situated in the estuary area of the Blackwater and Colne rivers and has an area of around...
) ‡ - Weeley Bridge (near Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
) ‡ - Martello Beach (near Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
) - Highfield Grange (Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
) - Valley Farm (Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
) ‡ - Naze Marine (Walton-on-the-NazeWalton-on-the-NazeWalton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of...
)
East Anglia & Lincolnshire
- Kessingland Beach (near SouthwoldSouthwoldSouthwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
Suffolk) - Breydon Water (near Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
Norfolk) - California Cliffs (near Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
Norfolk) ‡ - Manor Park (HunstantonHunstantonHunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
Norfolk) - Heacham Beach (near HunstantonHunstantonHunstanton, often pronounced by locals as and known colloquially as 'Sunny Hunny', is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash....
Norfolk) ‡ - Southview (SkegnessSkegnessSkegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
Lincolnshire) - Sunnydale (near MablethorpeMablethorpeMablethorpe is a small seaside town in East Lindsey on the coast of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Several small caravan parks exist around Mablethorpe. The town is administered with Sutton-on-Sea and Trusthorpe, as the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton...
Lincolnshire)
Yorkshire
- Withernsea (WithernseaWithernseaWithernsea is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, and forms the focal point for a wider community of small villages in Holderness. Its most famous landmark is the white inland lighthouse, rising around above Hull Road...
Humberside) - Skipsea Sands (SkipseaSkipseaSkipsea is a village and civil parish on the North Sea coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south of Bridlington and north of Hornsea on the B1242 road at its junction with the B1249 road....
East Yorkshire) - Barmston Beach (near BridlingtonBridlingtonBridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
East Yorkshire) ‡ - Cayton Bay (near Scarborough, North Yorkshire)
North East England
- Crimdon Dene (near HartlepoolHartlepoolHartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
County Durham) - Whitley Bay (Whitley BayWhitley BayWhitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
Tyne & Wear) ‡ - Sandy Bay (AshingtonAshingtonAshington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
Northumberland) - Church Point (Newbiggin-by-the-SeaNewbiggin-by-the-SeaNewbiggin-by-the-Sea is a small town in Northumberland, England, lying on the North Sea coast. Once an important port for shipping grain and a coal mining town, it is still a small fishing port making use of traditional coble boats.- History :...
Northumberland) ‡ - Cresswell Towers (Druridge BayDruridge BayDruridge Bay is a long coastal bay in Northumberland, England, stretching from Amble in the north to Cresswell in the south.Northumberland Coast Country Park is situated within the bay, and part of the bay is owned by the National Trust...
Northumberland) ‡
Scotland
- Eyemouth (EyemouthEyemouthEyemouth , historically spelt Aymouth, is a small town and civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north-south A1 road and just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It has a population of circa 3,420 people .The town's name comes from its location at...
Scottish Borders) - Sandylands (SaltcoatsSaltcoats- References :*McSherry, R. & M. . Old Saltcoats, Stenlake Publishing, Ochiltree. ISBN 1-872074-57-X.*Stansfield, G. . Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways, Stenlake Publishing, Catrine. ISBN 1-84033-077-5.-External links:***...
Ayrshire)
Wales
- Ty Mawr (AbergeleAbergeleAbergele is a community and old Roman trading town, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast and is known for its beach, where it is claimed by some that a ghost ship...
North Wales) - Brynowen (AberystwythAberystwythAberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
Wales) - Carmarthen Bay (KidwellyKidwellyKidwelly is a town in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, approximately north-west of the main town of Llanelli.It lies on the River Gwendraeth Fach above Carmarthen Bay. The town is twinned with French village St Jacut de la Mer.-History:...
South Wales) ‡
( ‡ denotes parks not offering camping and/or touring facilities)
External links
- Park Resorts Official Site
- Park Resorts Official Touring Site
- Park Resorts Official Holiday Home Sales Website
- / Park resorts Owners site
For a better experience in the holiday home business why not try
- Hughes Holiday Homes The best for holiday homes in North Wales