Holkham Estate

The Holkham Estate has added six caravan parks to its portfolio after acquiring McDonnell Caravans, in a deal supported by our Corporate Finance team.

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Holkham is a highly diversified rural estate on the North Norfolk coast which has successfully embraced visitor, tourism and leisure activities alongside farming and conservation, including the management of the Holkham National Nature Reserve. The business portfolio includes Pinewoods, a holiday park in Wells-next-to-the-Sea.

Holkham has now added more holiday destinations to its portfolio after completing the acquisition of six caravan parks along the North Norfolk coast, and the caravan distribution and sales businesses trading as McDonnell Caravans, from one of the region’s leading holiday park operators, Mike McDonnell.

Our Norwich team, led by Director Joanne Price and Partner James Cooper, was appointed by Holkham as buy-side advisers and helped manage all aspects of the deal. The team supported Holkham with preparing its offer and negotiating terms. Our Corporate Finance team supported Holkham with preparing its offer and negotiating terms, with our Financial Advisory team then supporting with the financial modelling, valuation and financial due diligence.

The deal will allow the Holkham Estate to expand its holiday park offering in response to growing demand. All of the staff at McDonnell Caravans will keep their current jobs, with owner Mike McDonnell providing Holkham with consultancy for a set period.

Joanne Price, Financial Advisory Director at FRP, said: “Caravan parks offer a great growth opportunity and it has been a pleasure to support Holkham with its expansion plans.  Acquiring McDonnell Caravans will allow the business to expand its offering for holidaymakers wanting to enjoy the Norfolk coast, making it an exciting time for all those involved.”

The Earl of Leicester commented: “In 1996 I was personally involved at the start of the journey when Holkham took over the running of the Pinewoods Holiday Park in Wells. Since then, we have expanded and constantly improved Pinewoods making it a business the Holkham Estate is very proud of. I am delighted we can now expand Holkham’s caravan park business through this exciting acquisition.”

Luke Tyce, Finance Director at Holkham, said: “When we identified an opportunity to acquire this highly regarded operator, we knew it was one we couldn’t afford to miss. The support provided by Joanne, James and their team was second to none, and we can now look forward to working with the experienced team at McDonnell Caravans to ensure our sites remain a must-visit place for holidaymakers in Norfolk.”