Haven has acquired Seal Bay Resort on the Selsey peninsula in West Sussex, expanding the holiday park operator’s portfolio to 40 sites ahead of the 2027 season.
The resort, which has more than 2,500 pitches, was previously owned by Cove Communities, the company that also owned Argyll Holidays in Scotland. The acquisition was made by Blackstone, Haven’s owner, for an undisclosed sum.
Seal Bay will continue to operate under its current name through the remainder of 2026 before transitioning to the Haven brand for the 2027 season. Holidaymakers can continue booking stays through the existing Seal Bay Resort website, including holidays scheduled for 2027.
Haven currently operates 39 holiday parks across England, Scotland, and Wales. The company’s parks typically combine accommodation and touring facilities with leisure, retail, and food and beverage amenities. According to The Argus, its portfolio includes indoor swimming pools, supermarkets, pub-restaurants, and branded food outlets. Its existing estate includes nine parks with JD Wetherspoon pubs, 32 with Papa Johns outlets, 22 with Burger King outlets, six with Millie’s Cookies, and five with Slim Chickens.
The acquisition adds a large coastal resort to Haven’s existing network and increases the number of parks under its operating platform. For the outdoor hospitality sector, the transaction also highlights how acquisitions can provide larger operators with opportunities to expand their geographic coverage while bringing independently operated or previously separately branded parks into an established operating structure.
Blackstone acquired Haven in 2021. Since then, Haven said it has invested more than £700 million across its parks, including spending on facility upgrades, expanded food and beverage offerings, additional pitches, and improvements to its holiday home fleet.
Haven has also expanded through other acquisitions in recent years. Richmond Holiday Centre was acquired and subsequently rebranded as Haven Skegness Holiday Park, while Holivans Caravan Park in Mablethorpe was also added to the portfolio.
The transition at Seal Bay will take place after the 2026 season, giving the resort time to move from its existing brand to Haven ahead of the 2027 operating season. The process will involve integrating the resort into Haven’s wider portfolio while continuing to accept bookings during the transition.
Simon Palethorpe, Haven chief executive, said: “I’m delighted that we are welcoming Seal Bay to the Haven family.
“It’s a fantastic park in the most stunning location and will sit brilliantly alongside our 39 other parks. Haven’s mission is all about making memories that last a lifetime and we can’t wait to start working with the Seal Bay team to deliver this for thousands of holiday makers and owners in the years to come.”
For holiday park and campground operators, the deal provides another example of consolidation within the UK sector and the potential operational considerations that accompany a brand transition. The scale of Seal Bay, its existing pitch inventory, and its coastal location also give Haven an established site through which it can apply its broader investment, facilities, and food and beverage strategy.
