Gray Dawes Group acquires travel management company VCK Travel

Gray Dawes Group, a corporate travel management company has almost doubled the size of the business with the acquisition of VCK Travel, a Netherlands-based TMC. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a statement said the acquisition brings United Kingdom-based Gray Dawes Group’s turnover to more than £500 million and its headcount to near 500.

Suzanne Horner, CEO of Gray Dawes Group, said, “I have long admired the business that Ed Berrevoets (VCK Travel’s managing director) and his team have built. This latest chapter in our development – Gray Dawes’ fourteenth acquisition to date – marks such an exciting time for us and our customers. Our clients increasingly want global solutions, even the smaller ones. They’re taking us on the journey. We’ve been very successful picking up businesses in the U.K. and integrating them. We know how to do that well. Now, following our expansion last year into Australia and the [United States], we’ve been doing that internationally.” 

Just under a year ago the company announced the acquisition of Australia-based MP Travel followed by Express Travel in the U.S. in April 2023. Horner added that the expansion into Europe was the “next step in the company’s global growth plan.”

“The challenges the industry has faced over the past few years are firmly behind us, as our revenue now exceeds all pre-pandemic levels and continues to break profitability records. Gray Dawes is fantastically placed, both financially and from a skills perspective, to really drive our strategy, while developing all parts of the business and new ventures. Through strong management, belief in our people, innovative technology and outstanding customer service, Gray Dawes weathered the pandemic storm better than most.” 

VCK Travel’s Berrevoets said, “There are so many synergies across the businesses, which makes this a very natural fit. By being part of the Gray Dawes Group, we will be able to leverage the strengths of both companies to deliver enhanced global opportunities to our staff and clients alike.”