A specialist holiday firm is expecting further growth after being acquired by another operator.
Family-run Solmar Villas, based in Burton upon Trent, has been acquired by DER Touristik UK, part of DER Touristik, the second largest travel group in Europe.
A spokesperson has confirmed there will be no change to the business location or team and staff have been briefed with a message that the new ownership will bring growth and likely lead to extra jobs.
Francis Torrilla, CEO of DER Touristik UK, said: “I am delighted that Solmar have agreed to join our collection of independent businesses.
“We have a positive message to share with our staff, suppliers, travel agents and customers in that we will protect the business ethos and values which have made it so successful and also invest in Solmar with the ambition to grow it into the largest villa operator out of the UK.”
Solmar Villas was founded by John and Maria Taylor who bought a two-bedroom apartment in Menorca in the early 1980s and decided to rent it out.
A few years later, they purchased a three-bedroom villa and began to help friends rent out their own properties too.
Solmar Villas was launched in 1994 and is one of the leading villa holiday providers in the UK with over 1,600 private villas with pools across Europe and in Florida.
As reported by Daily Focus, the company recently topped off a highly successful year by winning nine British Travel Awards.
Julie Blake, the current owner of Solmar Villas and daughter of its founders, will remain in her position as Managing Director and will report to Francis Torrilla.
Julie said: “The success of Solmar Villas has been driven by a team with a united aim of providing high quality villas combined with excellent customer service.
“Our strength is the relationships we have with our villa owners, suppliers, employees and clients and this will continue to be the driving motivation behind us.
“I am very proud of the business my family started and I’m equally thrilled to work with Francis and the wider team at DER Touristik to drive awareness and growth of this amazing brand. We have some ambitious plans and, with the support of the group, I am excited to be part of Solmar’s next steps.”
As part of the business growth plan, the aim will be to make Solmar Villas available to book through Kuoni, one of the brands within DER Touristik UK.
Francis added: “Solmar Villas has seen phenomenal success with a real drive for growth and quality.
“The acquisition enhances and complements our existing portfolio of independently managed businesses enabling us to drive substantial growth in the villa market.
“It also means we’ve got a broader range of price-points across our specialist brands so we’re relevant to more customers whilst always focusing on value and quality.”
Solmar Villas employs 30 people at its Burton head office, with a team of 34 overseas in resort.
