by REL Capital as its owner wished to retire. REL CAPITAL
REL Capital has acquired a further two coach companies, and still has an appetite for more
REL Capital has completed its fifth coach operator purchase this year, with two further acquisitions in Essex, and says it is hungry for more.
Entrepreneur Andy Scott’s investment firm has continued its acquisition drive within the coach sector with the purchase of Klarners Coaches, based in Colchester and which operates a number of Mercedes-Benz and Irizar tour coaches for both its own tours and third party operators as well as private hire and rail replacement work. Managing Director Graham Klarner will be retiring after a handover period to REL with the Transport Manager and General Manager Tristian Noble remaining working within the REL businesses.
Nearby, REL has agreed an investment taking a majority shareholding in Tendring Travel, which operates a number of school contracts around the Colchester, Ipswich and Clacton-on-Sea areas with a fleet of 20 coaches.
Director Mark and Transport Manager Merighan Bone will remain in the business long term, retaining a shareholding, managing the business day to day and looking to grow the business with more private hire work, after a number of nearby operators have closed their doors. REL’s investment will provide a more modern fleet.
Matt Watson, Managing Director of existing REL group company REL Davian, said: “We are really happy to work alongside Mark and Merighan Bone at the renamed REL Tendring, and wish Graham Klarner all the best as he goes and enjoys life in retirement. We welcome all the new drivers from Tendring and Klarners to our growing friendly team.
REL Chairman Andy Scott said: “Our operators are continuing to see the synergies and benefits in working together having recently invested in a combined Group Coach Manager system to ensure we are able to accommodate both larger private hire and contract bookings in the areas we cover. I welcome any chat with any operators to either partner with or buy them out, as we are flexible in our approach and can tailor an offer based on what the operator wants to achieve, whether that be retirement now, stay on for three to five years but working as part of a larger group in the meantime, with all of the benefits that bring, or just investment required in exchange for a shareholding.”
He added: “I’m enjoying playing a very small part in what appears to be a continuing consolidation of the sector.”
