Fieldfisher advises Attraction Tickets on transition

European law firm Fieldfisher’s Employee Ownership Solutions team has advised Attraction Tickets on its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), making it the largest travel company in history to adopt this innovative ownership structure. Attraction Tickets, the UK’s number one seller of theme park tickets and hotels for top destinations like Disney World, Universal Studios, and Disneyland Paris, will now allow its 128 employees to share in EOT bonuses worth over £1 million from the outset.

The transition to an EOT is part of Attraction Tickets’ strategic succession plan, where the founders and other shareholders will sell their shares to the EOT, which will hold them in trust for all employees. This move allows employees to become indirect owners of the company, preserving its independence and creating a sustainable ownership structure that serves as a platform for future growth.

Oliver Brendon, Founder and CEO of Attraction Tickets, expressed his gratitude, commenting, “Fieldfisher have been our go to lawyers for many years, and we greatly appreciate the support they have given us in our transition to employee trust ownership. Their patient and invaluable assistance through what has been a complicated process has been an enormous bonus, as is their unrivalled knowledge and experience of this sector. A special thanks must go to Jess Kilkelly, a key member of the Fieldfisher legal team, who has calmly guided us through this momentous step from beginning to end.”

This landmark deal highlights Fieldfisher’s expertise in employee ownership succession solutions, as well as its deep experience in the e-commerce and travel sectors. The complexity of Attraction Tickets' share ownership structure, which included share options to be exercised by employees, required the team to provide a range of specialist advice within a tight transaction timetable.

The Fieldfisher team involved in this transaction included Senior Partner David Wilkinson, partner Mark Gearing, partner Neil Palmer, associate Jess Kilkelly, associate Fran Lo, and solicitor Habibah Alao. This marks Fieldfisher’s eighth employee ownership deal this financial year, continuing to grow its reputation in this space. Recent notable deals include advising legal recruitment agency Montresor Legal, UK-based marketing agency Gilroy Limited, and Northern Ireland-based Ultra Building Products Limited on their transitions to EOTs.