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Silversea boss joins forces with Kent to buy A&K


Hollie-Rae Brader hollie@travelweekly.co.uk


Luxury operator Abercrombie & Kent could “double or triple” the size of its business after Silversea Cruises’ executive chairman agreed to buy a majority stake.


Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio has


joined forces with A&K founder Geoffrey Kent to jointly acquire the business, which was previously owned by Chinese firm Zhonghong Holdings Group and Kent. Financial details were not


revealed but the deal sees Kent increase his stake to 15%, with the remaining 85% now belonging to Lefebvre d’Ovidio’s Heritage Group. The pair said they would work


to “accelerate” the growth of A&K, with Lefebvre d’Ovidio saying: “We will look at many ways to grow – to double, triple the business.” A&K has an Atol licence for 7,305 passengers, but sources customers from around the world. Kent said A&K would look to build more river ships; establish


more destination management companies (DMCs); and possibly acquire other tour operations. He added: “Abercrombie &


Kent will continue as it is but with accelerated growth. Instead of establishing one, two or three DMCs a year, we can do five or 10. “We would build [more river


ships] locally and have the first footprint in a destination.” Kent referenced trips to Mongolia and Bolivia as he outlined A&K’s pioneering spirit to put new destinations on the map. He described the deal as


“meant to be”, adding that several “big‑name” companies and private equity firms had been interested in buying Zhonghong Holdings Groups’ shares. Lefebvre d’Ovidio sold a 66.6%


share in Silversea Cruises to Royal Caribbean for $1 billion last year, providing capital to buy A&K. Lefebvre d’Ovidio added:


“Geoffrey has a talent for product, sales and marketing and I am a financial mind. Together we both understand luxury travel.”


3 STORIES HOT


Scenic Eclipse’s launch has been put back to August


Delayed AGAIN: Scenic Eclipse clients left ‘edgy’


Harry Kemble harry.kemble@travelweekly.co.uk


Cruise agents say customers are getting “edgy” and “losing faith” in Scenic after a third delay to the launch of its flagship expedition vessel Eclipse.


The launch of the 228‑passenger


ship has been put back from April 13 to August 15 – a year after its original launch date. Some 350 Britons have been


affected by the cancellation of 11 sailings due to the latest postpone‑ ment. The delay prompted Scenic to hire more than 500 subcontrac‑ tors to complete the build. Financial issues at the Uljanik


shipyard in Pula, Croatia, have led to workers not being paid full salaries since August 2018, according to Scenic. The operator, which would


A&K owners Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio (left) and Geoffrey Kent


not say how many agents were affected, apologised, vowed to protect commission and offered clients a 25% discount to rebook. It said it had done “everything possible” to deliver the ship. But agents said delays were


affecting consumer confidence in the line, despite praising its cancellation policy. Francesca Barone, owner of


FB Travel, part of Brilliant Travel, said she had yet to contact her three customers affected by the latest delay due to the “level of delicacy” required. “One chap is going to be beyond


furious, and understandably so,” said Barone. “They appreciate it isn’t my fault but they’re having their plans changed and they’re often busy people.” Alex Loizou, sales director at


Mundy Cruising, said: “These are once‑in‑a‑lifetime trips, so it can be quite upsetting for customers.” He acknowledged Scenic’s commercial support and communication, but added: “The difficulty with clients is the loss of faith in Scenic, but we are working hard to avoid that.” Lucy Wybraniec, Carrier’s


product manager for cruise, said: “Clients are getting a bit edgy and uncertain about whether they should go ahead. It is a handful of bookings, but each is worth between £50,000 and £100,000.”


14 February 2019travelweekly.co.uk5


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