Maison Sport acquires historic ski school in multi-million-pound deal as growth drive continues
Maison Sport, the leading ski and snowboard instructor platform, has announced it has acquired Supreme Ski School in a multi-million-pound deal. The move will expand its offering - bringingski-school group lessons to the platform, alongside the private ski lessons already offered by the 1,000+ independent instructors currently using it.
Supreme Ski School, which currently operates across 18 resorts in France and Switzerland, will retain its brand identity and now rapidly scale its expansion plans, to help solidify Maison Sport as the go-to platform for booking ski and snowboard lessons in Europe.
The acquisition was debt funded, with a large proportion equity based and completed on 16thNovember 2022. It will enable Maison Sport to expand its international winter sports services, immediately offering ski-school group lessons across the major resorts in France and Switzerland with further expansion planned in Italy and Austria.
Maison Sport, founded in 2015 by ski instructors Aaron Tipping, Nick Robinson and Olly Robinson, has experienced record bookings this season (200% up YoY) and forecasts over £10 million in sales this winter overall. The team now includes over 30 employees and is set to grow by a further 50% in the coming 12 months.
Maison Sport, CEO, Nick Robinson said: “We’re very excited to continue driving the business forward and this is another significant step for us. Making ski-school group lessons part of our offering has been a key goal and this acquisition makes it a reality! We’re focused on financially securing the long-term growth, innovation, and success of our business through a multi-product offering and this deal reflects this.
“Ski-school group lessons currently represent around 50% of the lesson market* and will be central to our success over the coming years. We expect our independent instructors to benefit greatly from this acquisition as we’re predicting a significant uplift in private lesson sales, as customers generally prefer to book all their lessons through a single provider.”
Supreme Ski School was the first British owned ski school to launch in The Alps in 1991 by Founders Sue and Kenny Dickson, who were keen to offer the first competition to the well-established ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais). Becoming part of Maison Sport will see Supreme go back to its roots - helping to facilitate a new, improved experience for customers, in resorts filled with incumbents that have offered the same product for the past couple of decades.
Joint Managing Director of Supreme Ski School, James Salomoni said: “Our team has taught well over 100,000 hours of ski lessons over 28 years so, we know how to deliver the perfect ski lesson experience. We offer ski-school group lessons with a maximum of just six children per class, far below the limit of 14, which is the maximum participants in a number of other schools.”
“We’re excited about the acquisition, which will be a smooth process and, as always, the customer experience will remain at the forefront of the product ethos, so small groups and other value adds such as feedback cards and medals, will be built upon and continually improved.”
Alongside the acquisition, Maison Sport has signed a large number of accommodation partners around the world, becoming the first-choice ski lesson supplier for many, which is part of a new phase of growth for the business and will secure over £10 million in ski lesson sales this winter.
Robinson continued: “Our aim is to help our customers have unforgettable experiences on the slopes, by finding the right instructor and offering high quality lessons. Looking to the future, this acquisition will enable Maison Sport to offer a consistent, seamless experience to customers, wherever they are skiing across The Alps.”
