Travel deals site Secret Escapes has acquired Empathy Marketing Limited (EML), a platform for hospitality and ecommerce offers in Ireland.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the acquisition includes EML-owned Pigsback and other offers sites such as TheDiningRoom and LuxuryBreaks.
Secret Escapes gains a strong presence in Ireland as a result of the purchase with Pigsback having one million active members across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, according to a statement.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
The London-based company has acquired a number of other deals sites in recent years including Travelist in 2014 and Slevomat in 2017 giving it a presence in Central and Eastern Europe.
It also recently acquired the assets of Netherlands-baed TravelBird which announced its closure last November after failing to secure investment.
EML’s executive chairman Michael O’Dwyer and chief operating officer John McDonald will continue to run the websites.
The statement says the Irish company, which was founded in 2000, reported €5.7 million in revenue in 2017 and has increased sales by more than 200% since 2016.
Searchlight Capital Partners is partnering with Secret Escapes to fund the acquisition.
The deals company raised £52 million in funding in the middle of 2018 bringing the total raised to more than $150 million.
* Check out this interview with Alex Saint, CEO of Secret Escapes, during Phocuswright Europe 2018 in Amsterdam.
Executive interview: Secret Escapes