CHESTER-BASED holiday accommodation business Sykes has announced the launch of parent brand Forge Holiday Group, to spearhead its ambition to become a leading UK-focused holiday group.

Following several major acquisitions, including UK-based environmentally-sensitive cabins operator Forest Holidays and static caravan rental website UKcaravans4hire, as well as New Zealand rental company Bachcare back in 2019, Sykes Holiday Cottages has continued to expand into new territories and is responsible for more than 31,000 units of accommodation.

Forge Holiday Group will therefore act as a parent company to its core business areas. These include its initial UK agency division (Sykes Holiday Cottages), its specialist operator offering (Forest Holidays), caravans (UKcaravans4hire) and international travel (Bachcare).

Graham Donoghue will act as CEO to both Forge Holiday Group and Sykes Holiday Cottages, while Forest Holidays, UKcaravans4hire and Bachcare will continue to run by their existing leadership teams.

Forge is estimated to take five million people on holiday annually by 2026. Sykes’ UK agency platform already provides access to more than 22,000 UK holiday homes, while Forest Holidays operates around 700 cabins in 12 forest locations. UKcaravans4hire and Bachcare are responsible for 6,000 and 2,300 holiday homes respectively.

Graham Donoghue, CEO at Sykes Holiday Cottages and Forge Holiday Group, said: "With the creation of Forge Holiday Group, we are bringing together our four core business divisions with one shared purpose - to help people create lasting holiday memories with a positive impact on people and the planet.

"Our market-leading brands all have a long history of creating memories and delivering exceptional service. This, together with a shared focus, will allow Forge Holiday Group to deliver on this purpose promise as we continue to grow and expand together.

"It’s a transformative time for us as we accelerate our ambitions to become a leading force for UK tourism and we are excited to see what the future brings for Forge Holiday Group."