Bowmark Capital sells school services group for £100 million to DLJ Merchant Banking Partners

Bowmark created EAT through the merger of the School Travel Group (STG) and Kingswood Educational Group (Kingswood) in October 2007. STG was itself the product of a series of strategic mergers and acquisitions which began in December 2004 when Bowmark acquired School Travel Service, the UK’s longest-established school tours operator. STG made four further bolt-on acquisitions including Equity Travel in 2005, Pavilion Tours in 2006 and Kuoni Student Travel in 2007.

STG’s curriculum-based tours now include visits to famous battlefields, classical history sites and performing arts venues in Europe, the US, China, South Africa and India.

Kingswood, which Bowmark acquired separately in 2005, is a leading residential education and adventure activity business which operates nine residential sites around the UK and has recently expanded its operations into France. It also owns Camp Beaumont, the UK’s longest established commercial student camp operator.