Shearings
British coach-tour and holiday brand offering escorted and independent tours, short breaks, self-drive holidays and river cruises in the British Isles and continental Europe.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Shearings is a British travel brand with roots in coach transportation and organized excursions. It was established in 1919 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, by Herbert Shearing and developed into one of the United Kingdom's recognizable coach-holiday operators. Over time, the business changed ownership several times and absorbed or was combined with other travel and coach-tour businesses, including Smiths Happiways, National Holidays and Wallace Arnold. These transactions created a broad leisure operation offering coach holidays, hotels, escorted tours and related travel services. The brand's early history reflects the growth of regional coach travel in northern England. Shearings initially operated coach services and excursions, later taking over Eniway Motor Tours, which provided express coach transportation between Manchester and London. After Herbert Shearing retired, the business was reorganized into separate companies before being consolidated as Shearings Holidays in the 1960s. During subsequent decades, the brand operated through a succession of corporate owners and partnerships, including arrangements involving Pleasureways and Ribblesdale. Its coaches were at various times marketed under combined names before returning to the Shearings identity. A major phase of expansion followed the acquisition of Shearings by Associated Leisure in 1984. Associated Leisure had previously acquired the Blundell Group, including Smiths Happiways, and the resulting corporate structure brought the Shearings and Smiths businesses together. The wider group later acquired National Holidays during the privatization of the National Bus Company, as well as several regional coach businesses. After Mecca Leisure Group and then the Rank Organisation became involved, the Smiths name was eventually dropped and National Holidays was merged with Shearings operations. In 2005, 3i acquired control of the business and combined it with Wallace Arnold, a former competitor. The group subsequently traded under several names and broadened its portfolio beyond traditional coach touring. By the mid-2010s, it operated a substantial coach fleet, a large hotel portfolio and programmes involving coach, air, rail, cruise and hotel breaks. Its accommodation interests included the Bay Hotels and Coast and Country Hotels brands, while its travel activities also encompassed National Holidays, Caledonian Travel and Wallace Arnold Travel. The business was sold to a management team in 2014 and acquired by Lone Star Funds in 2016 through Specialist Leisure Group. The group was placed into administration in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collapse affected Shearings Holidays and several associated travel and hotel businesses. The former group reported that the pandemic had severely damaged trading, while industry representatives highlighted the pressure created by cancelled trips, refund obligations and the loss of new bookings. At the time, the group had approximately 240 coaches, 44 hotels and 2,460 employees, and tens of thousands of customer bookings were cancelled. In June 2020, Leger Holidays acquired the Shearings brand, website and customer database from the administrators. It did not acquire the former group's coaches, hotels or workforce in that transaction. Leger announced plans to revive the name with a new programme of coach holidays in the United Kingdom and Europe, including an initial schedule of United Kingdom tours planned for 2021. Shearings now operates as a travel brand within the Leger Shearings Group, alongside Leger Holidays, Battlefield Tours and Holt Tours. Its current proposition centers on organized tours and holiday itineraries rather than ownership of the large integrated hotel and coach infrastructure associated with the pre-2020 business.
History
Shearings began in 1919 when Herbert Shearing established a coach-tour business in Oldham. The company later took over Eniway Motor Tours, an express coach operator linking Manchester and London. After Shearing's retirement in 1949, the business was divided into two companies and subsequently consolidated as Shearings Holidays in 1963. The company also developed links with Pleasureways and Ribblesdale, with combined coach branding eventually simplified back to Shearings Holidays. The wider history of the brand is closely connected to the development of northern England's independent coach-tour sector. Smiths Happiways, one of the businesses later associated with Shearings, traced its origins to William Webster's 1903 haulage, removals and passenger-carrier operation. Coach excursions to North Wales and other destinations were being marketed by the 1930s, while tours to continental Europe began before the Second World War and resumed with a Switzerland tour in 1946. Smiths passed through several owners and was consolidated with other coach businesses under the Blundell Group before being acquired by Associated Leisure. Associated Leisure bought Shearings Holidays in January 1984, bringing the brand together with Smiths Happiways. Pleasurama acquired Associated Leisure in 1987, and the coach operations were progressively reorganized under Smiths Shearings. Pleasurama also acquired the original National Holidays business in 1986 during the privatization of the National Bus Company. Further regional acquisitions followed, and National Holidays was later incorporated into the Shearings structure. Mecca Leisure Group acquired Pleasurama in 1989, and the Rank Organisation took over Mecca in 1990. Rank sold Shearings Holidays in 1996 through a management buyout backed by Bridgepoint Capital. In 2005, 3i acquired control of Shearings and merged it with Wallace Arnold, another significant British coach-tour operator. The combination expanded the group's regional reach and brought a second business using the National Holidays name into the portfolio. After a 2014 sale to management, the business operated as Specialist Leisure Group and was acquired by Lone Star Funds in 2016. The group combined coach touring with hotel operations, travel shops and other holiday businesses, and at its peak controlled roughly 240 coaches and dozens of hotels. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp interruption to travel demand. Specialist Leisure Group entered administration in May 2020, with Ernst & Young appointed as administrators. The collapse affected Shearings Holidays, National Holidays, Caledonian Travel, UK Breakaways, the Bay Hotels and Coast and Country Hotels businesses, UKBreakaways.com and Wallace Arnold Travel. The former group stated that the pandemic had significantly damaged its business. Approximately 64,000 bookings were cancelled, and the group was reported to have debts of about £200 million. Leger Holidays acquired the Shearings brand, website and customer database in June 2020. Because the transaction did not include the former group's physical assets, Leger's Shearings operation represented a brand relaunch rather than a continuation of the previous integrated coach-and-hotel company. Shearings subsequently became part of the Leger Shearings Group, operating alongside Leger Holidays, Battlefield Tours and Holt Tours. Its current activities focus on selling organized holidays and tours in the British Isles and continental Europe, using partner accommodation and transport arrangements rather than the former group's legacy fleet and hotel estate.
- 2020
Specialist Leisure Group enters administration
[1]The parent group collapses during the COVID-19 travel disruption, ending the operation of the former integrated Shearings business.
- 2020
Leger acquires the Shearings brand
[1]Leger Holidays buys the Shearings name, website and customer database and announces plans to relaunch the brand.
- 2016
Lone Star Funds acquires the business
[1]Specialist Leisure Group, the parent organization of Shearings, is acquired by Lone Star Funds.
- 2005
Shearings is merged with Wallace Arnold
[1]3i acquires control and combines Shearings with former competitor Wallace Arnold.
- 1986
National Holidays joins the wider group
[1]Pleasurama acquires National Holidays during the privatization of the National Bus Company.
- 1984
Associated Leisure acquires Shearings
[1]Associated Leisure purchases Shearings Holidays and combines it with its Smiths Happiways interests.
- 1963
Shearings Holidays is consolidated
[1]The Shearings Tours companies are consolidated under the Shearings Holidays name.
- 1935
Acquisition of Eniway Motor Tours
[1]Shearings takes over Eniway Motor Tours, adding an express coach connection between Manchester and London.
- 1919
Shearings is founded in Oldham
[1]Herbert Shearing establishes the coach-tour business that later becomes the Shearings Holidays brand.
Products and positioning
Accessible, organized leisure travel for customers seeking packaged coach holidays, escorted touring and short breaks in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Coach holidays
Escorted coach tours
Organized multi-day itineraries using coach transportation, planned accommodation and guided or escorted sightseeing. Destinations cover the British Isles and continental Europe, with the format designed for travelers who prefer a structured package rather than arranging transport and hotels independently.
Coach holidays
Unescorted coach tours
Coach-based holiday packages that provide transport and accommodation while allowing travelers more independent time at the destination. This format broadens the brand's appeal beyond fully guided touring and is suited to short breaks and destination stays.
Leisure travel
Short breaks
Short-duration packaged holidays in the United Kingdom and nearby European destinations. These breaks typically combine coach travel with hotel accommodation and may be organized around sightseeing, seasonal events or resort stays.
Leisure travel
Self-drive holidays
Holiday packages designed for customers who travel to the destination independently by car while purchasing accommodation and itinerary support through the brand. They extend Shearings beyond its traditional coach-tour format.
Cruise holidays
River cruises
River-cruise packages marketed as part of the broader holiday programme. Before the 2020 administration, the former company chartered several vessels and also sold cruises operated by third parties; the current brand operates within Leger's post-2020 asset-light structure.
Packaged holidays
Hotel and coach packages
Combined transport and accommodation holidays sold across the United Kingdom and Europe. Historically, the former group supported this proposition through its Bay Hotels and Coast and Country Hotels portfolios, but those hotel assets were not acquired by Leger in 2020.
Brand decisions
2020
Administration of Specialist Leisure GroupOtherBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced travel demand and created a large volume of cancelled holidays and refund obligations. Specialist Leisure Group was unable to continue trading and appointed administrators in May 2020.
Action taken
Ernst & Young was appointed as administrator, and the group's holidays, tours and hotel bookings were cancelled. The former operating company and its integrated assets were not continued as a single business.
Aftermath
The collapse ended the pre-2020 Shearings operation and affected associated brands, employees, customers, coaches and hotels. The Shearings name was later sold separately to Leger Holidays.
Reported group debt. Approximately £200 million reported at administration (2020)
2020
Leger acquires the Shearings brandM&ABackground
Following the administration of Specialist Leisure Group, the Shearings name retained substantial recognition among British coach-holiday customers.
Action taken
Leger Holidays acquired the brand, website and customer database, but did not purchase the former group's coaches, hotels or employees.
Aftermath
Shearings was relaunched as a brand within the Leger Shearings Group, with planned coach-holiday programmes in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Recent events
Leger Holidays announces acquisition of Shearings assets[2]
Reported:
Leger Holidays announced it would acquire the Shearings brand, website and customer database. Leger said it would relaunch Shearings as a standalone brand in its escorted tours portfolio.
Sources2 sources
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