IGNITE TRAVEL GROUP TO LAUNCH GLOBAL ROLLOUT FOLLOWING FLIGHT CENTRE INVESTMENT
Visionary travel company Ignite Travel Group (ITG) will embark on an exciting global expansion on the back of a landmark buy-out by Flight Centre.
Having previously held a 49 per cent stake, Flight Centre (FC) has boosted its shareholding to 100 per cent in order to capitalise on the Gold Coast-based company’s highly successful “ready-made” holiday package model. This exciting model identified and successfully targets a very large and previously untapped travel market segment Randall Deer (Founder of ITG) calls the ‘inspirables’.
The acquisition will allow full deployment and integration of Ignite’s products through Flight Centre’s retail network including its market-leading My Holiday Centre brands such as MyFiji, MyHawaii and MyCruises.
The companies have also agreed to terms that will see Ignite Managing Director Randall Deer focus on both the retail roll out of ITG’s brands throughout the FC network, but also global expansion opportunities in a 50:50 joint venture with Flight Centre in these markets.
“Flight Centre’s domestic and international footprint and infrastructure is incredible and unparalleled and provides a golden opportunity to take the Ignite philosophy and models to the world,” Mr Deer said, who founded Ignite Travel Group in 2005.
“Having first teamed with Flight Centre three years ago, it is clear that the only way to realise our original and lofty dreams domestically and internationally, was to sell the remainder of my holdings now. To fully align the businesses and to enable us to achieve the global expansion I’ve always dreamed of.
“The capital generated from the sale will provide the funding needed to roll out our business models under my management and execution globally, in joint venture with FC.”
Mr Deer said the acquisition would see Flight Centre “up the ante” when it came to the integration of Ignite’s market-leading brands in its retail offering.
“While we have enjoyed success with our Flight Centre Exclusives, this deal will see the launch of our popular My Holiday Centre brands such as MyCruises and MyFiji within the Flight Centre offering,” he said.
“This wasn’t an option under the previous ownership structure and with Flight Centre having built its business on irresistible deals, our genuinely exclusive “ready-made” package holidays are the ideal fit for both customers and sales consultants.
“Ignite pioneered a new category of travel with our My Holiday Centre brands and we are looking forward to continuing industry leading growth.”
ITG’s ‘ready-made’ holiday model will deliver additional benefits for Flight Centre, including providing customers with a new type of product range from this rapidly growing sector and an even more enjoyable and rewarding in-store experience. As well as offering unbeatable deals, the ‘holiday in a box’ packages have been curated by ITG’s destination experts to include the best travel and tourism
aspects of a destination, with Flight Centre’s sales consultants able to tap into and share that expertise and exclusive offers with their customers.
Mr Deer said Ignite would remain under FLT’s Emerging Brands division and continue to operate as a completely separate entity on the Gold Coast under the stewardship of current CEO Ryan Thomas.
“Operationally, nothing except the scale of the opportunity and partnership will change for our partners or employees as a result of this business deal,” said Mr Deer, who will continue to be based at the company’s Gold Coast office.
“Flight Centre has made this investment because of our unique operating model and supplier relationships and wants us to remain independent. They have learned from previous acquisitions that the best way forward is to tap into what makes us the success we are.
“We have built this business on a philosophy of everyone winning. From our customers, to our trade partners to our channel partners and importantly, our staff – we will not lose any of this special DNA that is the driver of our continued successes,” he said.
Ignite has three distinct business models specialising in the unique promotion and distribution of leisure inventory such as hotel rooms, airline seats and cruise cabins.
Under its My Holiday Centre division, the company has 14 recognised B2C retail brands such as MyFiji, MyHawaii, MyQueenslandHoliday and MyCruises, while its Holiday Exclusives division provides third-party partners including 7Travel, FlyBuys and Flight Centre Exclusives with exclusive packaged holidays for distribution.
The acquisition’s terms are currently commercial-in-confidence.
ENDS
About Ignite: Ignite Travel Group (ITG) is an awarded multi-channelled travel marketing corporation parent to My Holiday Centre (MHC), RewardsCorp and Holiday Exclusives with 14 destination specific brands under the MHC division. Most recently winning Australia’s fastest growing travel business (2018) and ‘Disruptor of the Year’ this year in the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards, ITG delivers incredible scale across the industry reaching over 10 million Australians every week through its top five travel advertising spend through to its revolutionary partnerships with 7travel, RACQ, Flybuys and Entertainment Book, alongside an exclusive long-term partnership and investment by Flight Centre Travel Group. ITG is one of the largest private corporations on the Gold Coast and currently employs over 200 staff and this year, was awarded Australia’s 15th fastest growing private business across all industries.
For interview requests with Randall Deer Managing Director at Ignite Travel Group, or for further information please contact Sarah Matulin from Ruby Communications via (07) 3216 0400 or email sarah@weareruby.com.au