WP Holding Acquires Invia Group for €240M, Expanding Travel Reach
Poland-based WP Holding (Wirtualna Polska Holding) has announced the acquisition of European online travel agency Invia Group for approximately €240 million. The deal, pending regulatory approvals, will expand WP Holding’s footprint across Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
WP Holding, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, owns other travel platforms, including Szallas Group, which operates in Poland, Czechia, and Romania, and Wakacje.pl, a leading Polish travel site. The acquisition will transfer 100% of Invia Group shares from Rockaway Capital and CITIC Europe Holding.
Invia Group operates prominent booking platforms like Ab-in-denUrlaub.de, Travelplanet.pl, Invia.cz, Invia.sk, Invia.hu, and Fleuge.de. The acquisition is expected to elevate WP Holding’s annual transaction volume to over €2.5 billion, providing both domestic and international travel offerings.
WP Holding CEO Jacek Świderski emphasized the deal’s significance: “This marks our largest investment in Germany and one of Poland’s biggest non-state mergers. It’s also a transformative shift, with travel surpassing media as our primary revenue source.”
Invia Group CEO Boris Raoul expressed optimism: “Joining forces with WP Holding creates new opportunities to scale operations and strengthen our market position in key regions.”
This move is part of a broader trend of major acquisitions in the travel sector. Recent deals include Despegar’s purchase by Prosus and Tripadvisor’s $435 million share buyback from Liberty Tripadvisor Holdings. WP Holding’s acquisition underscores its ambition to dominate the European online travel market.
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