Supporting African Pride’s journey with a successful sale to First Class Holidays

Turning vision into reality

Turning vision into reality takes strategy, support and determination. Over the past seven years, we’ve had the pleasure of witnessing the incredible journey of African Pride and Knighton Reeve, renowned specialist tour operators offering tailor-made experiences across Africa and the Indian Ocean, as they reach this significant milestone.

After years of dedication, innovation, and a true passion for creating unforgettable travel experiences across Africa, Liz and David have successfully handed over the African Pride reins to long-haul, tailor-made operator First Class Holidays.

A trusted partnership built over seven years 

Our journey with Liz and David began in 2017, helping them acquire both African Pride and Knighton Reeve. Since then, we’ve been by their side, providing high-level financial guidance, budgeting support, navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, and offering ad-hoc regulatory advice. 

In 2022, we expanded our role further by providing accounting support through our outsourcing finance team.

Preparing for a seamless transition

Over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege of supporting Liz and David as they transitioned ownership to First Class Holidays.

Our involvement spanned the entire sale process, including:

• Preparing the business for sale
• Crafting an Information Memorandum
• Collaborating with legal teams on Heads of Terms
• Setting up a data room for buyer due diligence
• Filtering questions to keep Liz and David focused on daily operations
• Managing negotiations through to completion – including CAA change of control formalities

​​As they pass their legacy on, we can see this is just the beginning of a new chapter, where African Pride’s reputation and dedication to excellence will continue to thrive and grow under the guidance of First Class Holidays.

Following the transaction completion, Liz and David shared this feedback: 

‘When we established The Knavesmire Travel Group Ltd in 2017 to enable us to purchase African Pride & Knighton Reeve, we first approached Travel Trade Consultancy for advice and assistance, and they have been with us every day for the past seven years. Using their extensive knowledge and skillset, they played an essential role in dealing with regulatory matters, management accounts and, latterly as our advisors and facilitators of the sale of the company to First Class Holidays. This proved to be invaluable, and we would recommend them most strongly. And as a bonus, they are a lovely bunch of people too!’

Congratulations to Liz and David on a successful journey. As they pass their legacy on, we’re excited to see African Pride’s reputation and dedication to excellence continue to flourish under the stewardship of First Class Holidays.

If you’re seeking expert guidance on your own strategic journey – whether a sale, an acquisition, or another transition – please get in touch. We’d love to support you.

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