Windermere-based Pure Cottages has become the sixth biggest holiday cottage lettings agency in the UK after acquiring a business in Cornwall.

The acquisition of luxury self-catering cottages and holiday homes business John Bray Cornish Holidays for an undisclosed sum, is the fourth addition to the Pure Cottages group in the past year.

John Bray Cornish Holidays has been operating across popular north Cornwall locations of Rock and Daymer Bay, on the Camel Estuary, and Polzeath and Port Isaac on the Atlantic coast since 1971.

Its team of 28 staff will become part of the Pure Cottages group, which boasts a portfolio of more than 1,500 properties and more than 100 employees. 

Paul Liddell, chief executive of Pure Cottages, said: “John Bray fits perfectly into our growing portfolio of brands, by offering superior quality properties in a beautiful part of the UK. 

“The company has a fantastic reputation with owners and guests alike for providing wonderful, memorable holidays. They are currently gearing up for what looks like being their best summer season yet, with well over 5,000 holidays expected to be taken this year.”

Pure Cottages – already the Lake District’s largest independent agency for holiday cottage lettings – is undertaking an ambitious growth strategy with the backing of LDC, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investors.

It acquired Character Cottage Holidays in the Cotswolds in April last year, before securing long-established, family run agency Heart of the Lakes in November. In January this year is bought Lake District Lodge Holidays, a Lakeland holiday-let firm specialising in lodges.

Marketing strategist, Tracy Archer has joined Pure Cottages as group sales and marketing director to support the ongoing acquisition plans. 

A senior marketing consultant with experience at director level in roles at blue chip companies in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and London, Tracy is originally from Carlisle.

Pure Cottages has been on the acquisitions trail since December 2017 with the support of LDC, which helped to facilitate the management buy-out (MBO) of luxury holiday cottage provider Lakelovers.

The MBO was managed by Liddell, who had overseen the growth of Lakelovers since acquiring the business back in 2000.

He said the move would give the group “financial firepower” as it seeks to capitalise on the growing trend for ‘staycations’.

Lakelovers, founded in 1977, has more than 600 holiday properties, and provides an end-to-end property management service which includes marketing, maintenance, bookings support, alongside bespoke legal, financial and regulatory advice for owners, through its network of high-street branches.