The Eden Collection, a luxury operator which launched earlier this year, has purchased Seasons in Style, the established Cheshire-based tour operator.

The fledgling company and Seasons in Style will now both come under the new banner of Eden Luxury Travel Group, which will be overseen by group managing director Paul Beacall, founder of the Eden Collection.

Beacall was formerly commercial director of Elegant Resorts but left around the time of that operator’s sale to Thomas Cook.

He said the intention for Eden Luxury Travel Group was to become the UK's “leading independent luxury travel provider”. “I am confident we can become a formidable force in the sector,” he added.

The Eden Collection and Seasons in Style brands “complement each other” Beacall said, and will both be retained. “We have been working together to see how the businesses can come together without cannibalising either of them,” he said.

Seasons in Style was founded in 1998 and its chairman Peter Williams will take a step back from the day to day business at Seasons but take a place on the board of the new group as non-executive chairman.

Williams said: “I am delighted and thrilled at the new opportunities this union brings. I have no doubt these brands can become the leading independent luxury travel group in the UK.”

Beacall said Graeme George - managing director of Seasons in Style – would be focused on growing agent relationships for both companies; marketing for Eden Collection would now be overseen by Sally Booth of Seasons in Style. Jon Clee, also formerly with Elegant Resorts and the co-founder of Eden Collection, will be financial director for the newly-formed group.

“Becoming part of this new organisation and partnering with Seasons in Style allows Eden Collection’s growth to springboard by three years,” said Beacall. “We weren’t getting the volumes we needed purely because we were such a small team, but we knew there was more potential in the market. Now we have the support to grow.”
 
Beacall said Eden Collection had exceeded its year-one projections, with trade sales making up around 70% of its business. He stressed how important the trade would continue to be for both brands. Eden Collection's latest brochure is hard-cover and weighs in at alomst 400 pages. Beacall said Eden Collection differentiated itself from Seasons by offering more diverse product and remote destinations.

All Eden Collection’s product team were formerly with Elegant Resorts and Beacall said three more people would be joining the product department in January.