We’re pleased to have advised luxury travel group Travel Seen in acquiring a majority stake in one of the UK’s leading luxury ski specialists, Oxford Ski Company.
Oxford Ski Company specialises in curating high-end ski experiences, catering for the ultra-high net worth market in the UK and globally.
The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Travel Seen, which is headed by industry expert Jen Atkinson and backed by Arete Capital Partners. The group acquired eShores in late 2024 having made a number of additions in the prior year, taking the collective group’s total travel value to c£55million.
Mark Gibbins (CEO) and Rupert Longsdon (Founder and Chairman) will remain in position at Oxford Ski Company, to ensure continuity of service to its existing customer base.
Our Corporate team, led by Matt Noon (Partner) and Alex Thow (Legal Director) with Banking support from Beth Finnie (Legal Director), provided lead legal advice to Travel Seen.
The deal is the latest support we’ve provided to Arete Capital Partners, which has recently invested in premium chauffeuring provider SCS and regulated compliance solutions provider Product Partnerships Limited.
This transaction brings together two highly complementary businesses and marks another important milestone in Travel Seen’s ambitious growth strategy. Oxford Ski Company is a standout luxury brand with a strong reputation in a specialist market, and the continued involvement of Mark and Rupert provides real strength and continuity as the business moves into its next phase of growth. It was a pleasure working with Jen, Mike and their respective teams once again, and to support Arete Capital Partners on another strategic investment.Matt Noon
Partner at Hill Dickinson
Mike Fletcher, Partner at Arete Capital said: “This investment reflects our continued focus on partnering with high-quality, owner-managed businesses with strong growth potential and differentiated market positions. Oxford Ski Company brings a compelling combination of brand strength, specialist expertise and an established high net worth client base. The alignment between the teams creates a strong foundation for long-term value creation. Working with Matt and Alex at Hill Dickinson is always a pleasure, and was once again the case in this latest transaction.”
Jen Atkinson, Founder of Travel Seen, said: “We have searched for experienced, high growth travel businesses and our investment in Oxford represents our biggest and most transformational investment to date. This next investment represents a step change in the scale and credibility of our growth and M&A mission. It was a pleasure as ever to work with the Hill Dickinson teams – Matt and Alex steered the deal through every challenge and always offered us a commercial and pragmatic way through.”
Matt Noon, Corporate Partner at Hill Dickinson, said: “This transaction brings together two highly complementary businesses and marks another important milestone in Travel Seen’s ambitious growth strategy. Oxford Ski Company is a standout luxury brand with a strong reputation in a specialist market, and the continued involvement of Mark and Rupert provides real strength and continuity as the business moves into its next phase of growth. It was a pleasure working with Jen, Mike and their respective teams once again, and to support Arete Capital Partners on another strategic investment.”