PMSI supports the sale of Class Tours Limited to UC Partners
UC Partners (UCP) acquires majority stake in Class Tours Limited, the parent company behind Voyager School Travel, COGO Group Travel and Pegasus Coaches. The deal sees UCP acquire the interest previously held by RJD Partners.
Class Tours, headquartered in Brighton with regional offices in Northern France, is a market leader in language immersion and educational travel, delivering unique, curriculum-linked experiences for British and French students. The business has enjoyed consecutive record-breaking trading years, underpinned by exceptional customer loyalty – 90% of customers expect to maintain or increase spend.
The group specialises in tailored education travel programmes, with a strong emphasis on immersive language experiences. Its four company-owned centres in France – supported by partner centres in Spain and Germany – offer pioneering language immersion courses delivered by expert animateurs and on-site teams. With its in-house coach company, the group also provides a comprehensive end-to-end solution for schools and youth groups
UCP was drawn to Class Tours’ strong culture, differentiated proposition, and high-calibre management team. Led by founder and CEO Nigel English, the team has a proven track record of delivering both organic growth and strategic acquisitions, expanding the group’s portfolio of owned and exclusive centres and education programmes.
The new investment will support Class Tours’ next phase of growth, including the development of a new purpose-built youth accommodation centre for groups visiting Paris and further expansion across its existing centres. This follows the recent doubling of accommodation and enhancement of onsite activities at the group’s Moulin centre in Hauts-de-France.
PMSI provided VCDD to support the transaction, including an assessment of Voyager School Travel’s addressable market size and detailed evaluation of its growth strategy. Our work was underpinned by a full customer feedback exercise and survey, which validated the business’s core value proposition and future growth potential.
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