Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group is selling UK travel brand Thomas Cook despite having purchased the asset only five years ago.
The group's Hong Kong-listed unit Fosun Tourism said the entire stake
in Thomas Cook will be sold to eSky, an air ticket booking and travel
business operator based in Poland.
Sources close to the deal quoted a sale price of US$40 million.
Thomas Cook was founded in 1840 in the UK but went bankrupt in
September 2019. Fosun, led by billionaire Guo Guangcheng, acquired the
brand two months after liquidation.
Fosun Tourism said in a filing to the Hong Kong Exchange that Thomas
Cook's online travel agency business in the UK. "does not align with the
core competencies and strategic focus of the group”.
The sale of Thomas Cook represents a further sell-off of assets by
once high-flying Fosun, as it attempts to secure its balance sheet.
In July, the group announced it was selling Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, a
ski resort in Japan, and even earlier this year was reported to be
exploring the sale of a minority stake in its Club Med business.