Investment type
- Secondary buyout
Iglu.com (Iglu) is the UK’s leading online travel agent specialising in cruise and ski holidays.
Founded in 1998 to disrupt the traditional ski holiday market, Iglu operates through three websites – Igluski.com, Iglucruise.com and Planetcruise.com – providing customers with instant access to the world’s leading ski holiday suppliers and later cruise lines through its online brands.
Invested for growth
LDC invested in Iglu for a minority shareholding in 2015 to support the management team’s organic growth plan.
The partnership helped Iglu to invest significantly in its technology and booking systems, enabling it to secure more than 75% of online bookings in the UK cruise intermediary market, and take its model into new geographies including Spain, Italy and Ireland, and new product areas such as tailor-made holidays.
Its brands also won numerous industry awards, including Best Online Travel Agent at the Agent Achievement Awards and Outstanding Contribution for the Carnival Cruise Line at the UK Cruises Awards.
LDC’s original investment proved transformational for Iglu, enabling us to take our proven model to new markets and dramatically scale our business whilst investing in our technology infrastructure and brands.”
A 10-year growth journey
With LDC’s support, Iglu increased total transaction value – the total value of holidays sold – to £450m, passenger numbers by 67% to 250,000, and headcount by 78% to 418 people.
By the end of the 10-year partnership, Iglu had more than doubled in value to £122m and today offers customers access to over 50,000 cruises and over 5,000 ski holidays.
In December 2025, LDC exited its investment in Iglu to Flight Centre Travel Group.
LDC’s continued support during the pandemic also meant we were able to take full advantage of the subsequent resurgence in international travel, which helped us re-accelerate our growth.”
Awards
National Agency of the Year (Online/Call Centre)
Agent Achievement Awards
National Agency of the Year (Cruise Agency – large)
Agent Achievement Awards
Favourite Cruise Travel Agent – Highly Commended
Wave Awards
Best Ex-UK Producer
MSC Champion Awards
Best Online Travel Agent
Agent Achievement Awards
Cunard – Partnership Achievement Award
UK Cruises Awards
Carnival Cruise Line – Outstanding Contribution
UK Cruises Awards
Princess Cruises – Highly Commended
UK Cruises Awards
Holland America Line – Highly Commended
UK Cruises Awards