PRIVATE equity funds are “lining up” for Journey Beyond, with two local collectives believed to be in talks with the Aussie brand’s parent company Hornblower Group, The Australian has reported.
BGH Capital and Affinity Equity Partners, along with United States-based Carlyle Group, are understood to be in negotiations with Hornblower, with suggestions a deal could be worth about $600 million.
Journey Beyond is being shopped around by investment bank UBS, having previously been owned by Quadrant Private Equity, which sold the business to Hornblower for $600 million last year.
Hornblower, which is owned by United States-based private equity firm Crestview Partners, purchased Journey Beyond in February 2022, but 10 months later, the yacht/cruise/ferry operator had to be recapitalised, as it struggled after the pandemic.
Journey Beyond said in a statement to travelBulletin its “diverse portfolio of premier experiential travel offerings continues to be an attractive business to investors and has always drawn strong external interest.”
