Leger Holidays acquires Shearings’ brand and will offer new tours in UK & Europe

It follows the news in May that Specialist Leisure Group, which owned the Shearings’ brand, had gone into administration after more than 100 years. 

Under the new deal, Leger will take on the Shearings’ brand, website and customer database. The two companies were previously competitors for escorted tours and coach holidays. 

Introducing ‘Shearings by Leger Holidays’ on the website, Leger said it would soon be offering a new programme of fully escorted tours to the UK and Europe adding: 

“You’ll find the friendly customer service, excellent range of itineraries, comfortable travel and hand-picked accommodation that you’re familiar with when travelling with Shearings, but with some exciting changes and refreshing updates.” 

Some of the holiday destinations teased on the website include: Lake Como, the River Rhine, Torquay, the Peak District, Devon, the Lake District, Eastbourne, the Spanish Coast and the Austrian Lakes. 

Leger Holidays’ chief executive Ian Henry said: “I am delighted that Leger Holidays will be bringing the iconic Shearings brand back to life and relaunching it as a stand-alone brand in our escorted tours portfolio.  

“We have gone into this deal knowing that the two brands already have many synergies – similar product, customer demographic, experience values, impressive repeat business and customer loyalty and, as such, we already have the business model in place to seamlessly relaunch Shearings. Leger Holidays has nearly 40 years’ experience in escorted tours – we are not recklessly helicoptering into unknown territory!

“We are particularly keen to develop Shearings’ popular UK tours portfolio and increase our UK tours market share. Post Covid-19 we are predicting an increase in staycations and will be very quickly launching around 30 new UK tours for 2021 and beyond.

“This deal will not only save the Shearings brand but will reinforce Leger Holidays’ position as the UK’s largest coach holiday operator.”

Did you previously lose a Shearings holiday?

Leger has said that all customers who had a confirmed booking with Shearings will be offered a low deposit to secure their next Leger holiday while they’re waiting for a refund from the cancelled trip. 

It assures customers, on its website, that bookings will be ABTA and ATOL protected and that there’s a prize freeze meaning that holidays next year will be at this year’s prices.