Flight Centre Travel Group acquires UK’s Fresh Group agency – Conference & Meetings World

The FCM-Fresh team: L-R: Anthony Wilson, Laure Lee, Frits de Kok, Katie Clark, Lee Harris.

The Australasia-based Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (FLT) has announced it has acquired Manchester, UK-based brand experience and meetings and events agency Fresh Group. The agency is the award-winning creative engine behind the brand experiences of multiple blue-chip organisations, including Visa, Vodafone, M&S, Currys, Siemens, Hyundai, Co-op and Samsung.

Fresh will integrate into FLT’s FCM Meetings & Events operation, retaining its creative identity while benefiting from FLT’s global scale and technology. Fresh chief executive officer Lee Harris and his leadership team will continue to run the business, which has offices in Manchester and Edinburgh.

Fresh has said it expects to deliver £18m in turnover and £1.2m in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation during the 2026 fiscal year (FY26).

The acquisition elevates FLT’s presence in the high‑margin, fast‑growing M&E sector and aligns with its strategic objective of deepening customer relationships by providing additional value‑adding services that expand FLT’s markets beyond traditional travel management. This strategy is gaining traction with almost 10% of FLT’s corporate sector revenue generated via M&E and professional services during the FY26 first half.

The acquisition also unlocks cross-sell potential across FLT’s 2,200 UK corporate customers, while enabling Fresh’s clients to access FCM’s corporate travel and global servicing capabilities – creating a two-way growth opportunity.

FLT managing director Graham Turner said: “Fresh is a quality business, with a strong market reputation and blue‑chip client roster, that elevates our position in an attractive sector and gives us broader capability to support our corporate customers. With Fresh’s addition, we can deliver a fully integrated M&E offering in the UK, reduce reliance on external suppliers and capture more value within the group.

“This acquisition helps us deepen relationships with our corporate clients by offering more of the services they need in one place – creative, production and travel management delivered seamlessly. Fresh unlocks meaningful growth opportunities on both sides of the relationship, from cross‑selling into our UK corporate customer base to supporting Fresh’s clients with our global travel capabilities.”

Fresh CEO Lee Harris added: “We are delighted to join such a reputable organisation and to accelerate our global presence while retaining the local knowledge and expertise that our clients value. Our capabilities will work in unison to remove the friction between planning and creation, all underpinned by strategic thinking and world class creative. This integration allows us to provide a premium, scalable service that delivers visibility, the wow factor and, most importantly, strong returns on investment.”

“This is a game-changing moment for FCM M&E and our clients across EMEA. We have experienced a 50 per cent increase in business year-on-year from 2025 to 2026, demonstrating strong market demand,” said Frits de Kok, head of Meetings & Events, EMEA.

“The fresh acquisition doesn’t just expand our footprint to fulfil the trend for in-person events; it fundamentally transforms what we can deliver for customers. We now have world-class creative business, brand experience expertise, and full-scale production capabilities under one roof.”

The acquisition involved 100% of Fresh Approach (UK) Holdings Limited with FLT using cash reserves to fund the acquisition. The deal’s full figure was not disclosed.

The Fresh seller profile is: Management (75%), founders (12.5%), NVM Private Equity (12.5%). The agency was established in 2004 and employs about 65 people.

For more information, visit FCM Travel or fresh Group