Travel Industry Giants Partner to Purchase Abercrombie & Kent

The travel industry is taking note as Heritage group Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio has partnered with Abercrombie & Kent founder Geoffrey J.W. Kent to acquire 100 percent of the luxury tour operator brand jointly.

Lefebvre and Heritage group will own 85 percent of Abercrombie & Kent and Kent will hold the other 15 percent. Kent will continue as the company’s chairman and CEO, while Lefebvre will become chairman of Abercrombie & Kent Holding.

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Company officials said the “union brings together two visionaries in luxury travel to further develop Abercrombie & Kent as the premier brand in luxury and experiential travel.”

“Abercrombie & Kent is the finest luxury travel company in the world, and I am honored to be able to partner with Geoffrey Kent to help this remarkable company continue its record growth,” Lefebvre said in a statement.

“I am very excited to be working with Manfredi,” Kent said. “I cannot think of a better or more experienced partner for the next phase of A&K’s growth.”

Kent is a pioneer in the travel industry, creating the first luxury tented photographic safaris in 1962 in Kenya and building A&K into the world’s leading luxury and adventure travel company.

As for Lefebvre, he built Silversea Cruises into the leading luxury and expedition cruise line before selling a 66 percent stake in the company recently to Royal Caribbean Group for around $1 billion. Some of the income from that deal will be used to fund the Abercrombie & Kent acquisition.

The closing is expected to be completed later in the year, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.