UK-based travel management company Gray Dawes group has
acquired Dutch TMC VCK Travel, a move that Gray Dawes CEO Suzanne Horner said
nearly doubles the size of its business.
The acquisition is a “springboard” for Gray Dawes’
expansion into Europe, the company said. Financial details of the transaction
were not provided, but Gray Dawes said the acquisition of VCK Travel, which
operates four regional offices across the Netherlands, brings its global
employee headcount to 500 and annual turnover to more than £500 million.
It also builds on Gray Dawes “follow-the-sun”
service model, following last year’s expansion into the U.S. with
the acquisition of Express Travel and into Australia with
the acquisition of MP Travel. VCK is Gray Dawes 14th acquisition to date
and will help meet an increasing demand from clients for global solutions,
including smaller clients, according to Horner.
“We’ve been very successful picking up businesses in
the UK and integrating them,” Horner said in a statement. “We know
how to do that well. Now, following our expansion last year into Australia and
the USA, we’ve been doing that internationally.”
BTN
Europe reports that VCK Travel eventually will rebrand to Gray Dawes and
will be retaining all of its staff following the acquisition. Gray Dawes also
will be reviewing VCK’s contractual agreements regarding its membership in the
Radius Travel Network.
