Naturist sells holiday firm for £1.8m

A 70-year old nudist who set up Britain’s biggest naturist tour operator joined the millionaires’ club today after he sold the business he founded in 1971.

Peter Englert shook hands on a £1.8m (€2.6m) deal that will see Romford-based Peng Travel bought by Travelzest, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

It brings the curtain down on 35 years as a private company for Peng, which specialises in arranging naturist holidays to destinations such as Spain and the Caribbean.

According to Peng, there are hundreds of thousands of naturists in the UK and an estimated 20-25 million living on mainland Europe. Last year, the company turned over £2.6m (€3.8m) and made operating profits of £235,000 (€343,000).

Chris Mottershead, chief executive of Travelzest, said: “It is our strategic objective to build a new travel group focused on high-quality brands offering specialist holiday services.

“Peng Travel is a successful business and the leader in its niche market. It meets Travelzest’s strict criteria for acquisitions, offering a sustainable revenue stream and growth potential at an attractive price.”

Travelzest already owns VFB Holidays, which has contracts with the owners of 350 holiday cottages throughout France for the summer season and has booking arrangements for more than 150 hotels.

It also controls online travel agent Holiday Express, which trades from websites including holiday.co.uk and flight.co.uk.

Travelzest, which was founded in April last year, also owns tour operator Best of Morocco which specialises in trips to the north African country for individuals or small groups.

It is the main agent for the Marathon des Sables – a running race that takes place in Morocco in April each year and covers around 143 miles.

Naturism dates back to the age of empire when widower Charles Crawford set up a club in British India in 1891, providing a break from his responsibilities as a district and sessions judge for the Bombay Civil Service.

Books on the pastime appeared in Germany two years later before the Moonella Group founded the first naturist club in the UK in 1924, near Wickford in Essex.

An umbrella organisation – British Naturism – came into being in 1964 when The British Sunbathing Society and the British Federation of Sun Clubs merged. It is the UK’s only member of the International Naturist Federation (INF).