The owner of Loveholidays, the online travel agent (OTA), has enlisted bankers to provide guidance on a potential stock market debut. Sky News has learned that Livingbridge, the private equity firm, has engaged Rothschild to assist in organizing plans for an initial public offering (IPO) of Loveholidays.
Sources indicate that Rothschild will be responsible for selecting other investment banks to collaborate on a flotation in the upcoming weeks. The London market has experienced a significant decrease in IPO activity, with data revealing that the first half of 2025 was one of the worst in decades in terms of proceeds raised.
The timing of a Loveholidays IPO, expected to value the company at well over £1bn, is yet to be determined. Loveholidays has been supported by Livingbridge since 2018 and has witnessed a substantial improvement in its financial performance following the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic in the travel industry.
Specializing in trips to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands, Loveholidays prides itself on offering an inventory of 35,000 hotels and 99% of all flights, resulting in 500 billion possible holiday packages. It reportedly experienced a 20% increase in pre-tax profits to £67.6m on sales of £284m in the year ending October 2024.
Ranked among the UK’s largest OTAs alongside OnTheBeach and TUI, Loveholidays has been a major beneficiary of the surge in demand from holidaymakers post-pandemic. Last year, Sky News reported that potential buyers, including CVC Capital Partners, were exploring offers for a controlling stake in Loveholidays. Following the halt of that process, there were discussions about selling a minority stake.
Founded in 2012 by Alex Francis and Jonny Marsh, Loveholidays now employs hundreds of individuals. Livingbridge has chosen not to comment on Wednesday.
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