Car rental comparison website EnjoyTravel.com has announced its acquisition of Big 7 Travel, a popular travel website with a majority US audience.
The deal, details of which were not disclosed, is hoped to bring the booking technology to the North American market.
Big 7 Travel covers more than 150 countries in the world and was launched in early 2019 by Niall Harbison and Sarah Clayton-Lea.
Following the deal Harbison will exit the company, and Clayton-Lea will stay on with a minority stake and will continue to manage existing content and marketing teams.
Martin Mansell, CEO of EnjoyTravel.com, will transition to Group CEO and oversee growth and strategy of both companies.
Mansell said: “We are delighted with our acquisition of Big 7 Travel. The two businesses will come together and create something really unique.
“As we expect the travel industry to start coming back to life early in the new year, we believe Big 7 Travel will prove to be a magnificent addition to our business and are now set for strong growth in 2021 and beyond.”
Clayton-Lea, Founder and Head of Content of Big 7 Travel added: “It’s an exciting move for Big 7 Travel and doubles down on our belief as a team that we are creating content that consistently hits the mark.
“While the travel industry has experienced a difficult year, we are confident that the return will be massive. Together, EnjoyTravel.com and Big 7 Travel are the perfect match to transform the trip planning experience from start to finish.”
EnjoyTravel.com was the first comparison site in the UK to only work with rental providers who adopted a fair fuel policy, and during Covid-19 was the first UK-based car hire broker to offer a completely contactless and Covid-friendly collection system.