Center Parcs UK

History

In 1968, Dutch entrepreneur Piet Derksen purchased woodland near Reuver so that staff and customers of his 17 store sporting goods chain could relax in small tents. The park, De Lommerbergen, was successful and tents were quickly replaced by bungalows. In 1987, Center Parcs opened its first UK resort Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. This brought the company into the sights of expanding brewer Scottish and Newcastle, who subsequently bought the group.

During a move in 2001 to concentrate on their core brewing business, Scottish and Newcastle sold the UK side of Center Parcs to venture capitalists Mid Ocean. In 2003 S&N sold the mainland European sites to a joint venture of France-based Pierre & Vacances (P&V), who already owned the competing Gran Dorado Resorts, and German investment group DBCP. The two companies have since operated under the same brand, but ever since have been owned and operated by two separate and different companies.

In December 2003 Mid Ocean agreed to sell the UK resorts to Arbor Ltd for £285 million, a special vehicle set up to float Center Parcs UK on London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market. However, after flotation in May 2006 Center Parcs UK Group PLC was sold to Blackstone Group, and subsequently re-registered as a private company. Under a separate deal at the same time, Blackstone also bought the freehold of the European sites from P&V, which allowed them to rebrand all of the European sites as Center Parcs.

In June 2015, it was announced that Blackstone had agreed to sell the company to Canadian-based Brookfield Properties Corporation, for £2.4bn.

Operations

The first Center Parcs holiday village in the United Kingdom was opened in July 1987. Located near Ollerton and Boughton in Nottinghamshire, it was named Sherwood Forest. Two years later a second village was added, at Elveden Forest, near Brandon, Suffolk.

The third park opened in 1994, co-located on the site of Longleat Safari Park near Warminster, Wiltshire. This village has fewer lodges than Elveden Forest and Sherwood Forest due to the steep topography of the site.

In 1997, the Rank Organisation had opened a similar style holiday village near Penrith, Cumbria, under the name Oasis Lakeland Holiday Village. Bought by Center Parcs UK in 2001, the site was rebranded as Center Parcs Oasis Whinfell Forest. The set up at Whinfell is slightly different in that the style of accommodation is more akin to two-storey Scandinavian-style lodges, the main centre of the village is under cover, and there is no country club like at Elveden Forest and Sherwood Forest. Center Parcs have updated many Whinfell Forest lodges, and added new lodges of an identical style at their other UK parks.

In April 2002, the central plaza and sports centre at Elveden Forest was destroyed by fire. One member of staff was treated for smoke inhalation, but there were no serious injuries. In the summer of 2003, after extensive re-building which saw the plaza replaced with a new open village square, Elveden Forest reopened. Whilst it was closed, the rest of the village was also improved including the refurbishment of the country club and the addition of a spa and new three- and four-bedroom lodges.

The chief executive, Martin Dalby, said that the company might add a fifth village. In December 2004, Center Parcs announced that it had identified a location at Woburn, Bedfordshire. Despite the land being designated as greenbelt, the company sought planning permission and had already completed the signing of a lease on the land from its owner, the Duke of Bedford. The project was expected to cost approximately £160 million, including the construction of accommodation, indoor and outdoor facilities, the swimming complex, restaurants and a spa. It was anticipated that, given planning permission, the project would take between three and four years to complete. In July 2006, Bedfordshire District Council turned down Center Parcs' application for planning approval, leading the company to lodge an appeal against the decision later that year. In September 2007 the council's decision was overturned by the government, and outline planning permission for the site was granted. In November 2010 Center Parcs gained full approval for the plans of the village including designs of facilities, restaurants, shops and accommodation and in 2012 secured £250 million of investment to build the new resort, to be known as Woburn Forest. It is the smallest UK Center Parcs village and opened in spring 2014.

In a 2008 interview, Martin Dalby, the chief executive of Center Parcs UK, stated that the new village would be the last village the company constructed in the UK and that if a sixth village was considered it would probably be located in Ireland.

The sixth and final village was announced to the public in September 2015, County Longford Forest will be located in Ireland and is due to open its doors in 2019.

Accommodation

Each village has a number of different lodge types that range from one- to four-bedroom accommodation for up to 8 people with some larger lodges including their own games room. Lodges are usually in small clusters and give a good degree of privacy, whilst allowing for self-catering and communal BBQs. Elveden Forest has no one-bed lodges, but instead includes the Lakeside View Hotel.

In 2011, Center Parcs began refurbishing all of its lodges. The beds were all replaced and new interiors introduced to help brighten up interiors. A new style 'Woodland Lodge' replaced the previous basic lodges to become the entry-level standard accommodation. Executive lodges were also upgraded.

Activities

Guests are able to book and participate in a wide range of activities at the various villages.