Siblu
Siblu is a privately owned holiday-park operator offering family vacations and mobile-home sales in France and the Netherlands.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Siblu is a holiday-park business focused on family-oriented outdoor accommodation in France and the Netherlands. Its operations combine two related activities: the rental of mobile homes and other vacation accommodation for short or extended stays, and the sale of mobile homes located within its holiday villages. The company can also provide rental-management services to mobile-home owners, creating an integrated ownership and hospitality model. The business traces its French activity to 1975, when it operated as a tour operator under the Freshfields name within The Rank Group. Its move into park ownership began in 1981, when the Haven brand acquired Les Charmettes and Le Lac des Rêves. The Rank Group acquired Haven in 1986, making those two sites the first parks under its ownership and supporting the beginning of mobile-home sales. Haven later became Haven Europe in 1994. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Haven Europe expanded through acquisitions of established French holiday villages. The portfolio grew to include Domaine de Kerlann, Le Bois Masson, Le Bois Dormant, La Carabasse, La Pignade and La Réserve. In 2000, The Rank Group sold Haven Europe to Bourne Leisure. From 2003, the business gradually adopted the Siblu name, with Haven Europe and Siblu used in parallel for several years. Bourne Leisure sold the business to a group of English investors in 2004. Siblu continued to expand under private ownership. It completed a major refinancing in 2006 and added further French parks, including Domaine de Litteau, Le Montourey, Bonne Anse Plage, Les Sables du Midi, Rives de Condrieu, Les Dunes de Contis, Mar Estang and Le Conguel. Stirling Square Capital Partners acquired the company in 2015. Simon Crabbe was appointed president and chief executive in 2016. The company began international expansion beyond France in late 2018, acquiring De Oase in Zeeland as its first Dutch holiday park. It added In de Bongerd in Zeeland in 2019 and Lauwersoog in the northern Netherlands in early 2020. Reference material describes a portfolio of 23 parks as of 2020: 20 in France and three in the Netherlands. The French parks span coastal and inland destinations including Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, Aquitaine, Charente-Maritime, the Rhône-Alpes region and the French Riviera. The Dutch sites are located in Zeeland and around the Wadden Sea. Siblu's parks are generally positioned as large, family-focused resorts, with facilities designed for holidaymakers traveling with children and with French-, English- and Dutch-speaking staff. Most sites are classified at four-star level. Accommodation includes mobile homes and chalets, supported by resort facilities and services typical of managed outdoor holiday villages. The brand therefore serves both consumers seeking a managed holiday and customers purchasing a mobile home for personal use and possible rental income.
History
Siblu's origins lie in a French tour-operating activity launched in 1975 under the Freshfields name, then associated with The Rank Group. The business began developing into a holiday-park owner in 1981, when the Haven brand acquired two open-air villages: Les Charmettes and Le Lac des Rêves. The Rank Group acquired Haven in 1986, and these properties became the first parks owned by the wider business. This period also marked the start of mobile-home sales, an activity that later became one of Siblu's two principal business lines. In 1994, Haven adopted the name Haven Europe. The company expanded its French park estate during the second half of the 1990s, acquiring Domaine de Kerlann in 1995, Le Bois Masson and Le Bois Dormant in 1998, and La Carabasse, La Pignade and La Réserve in 1999. The Rank Group sold Haven Europe to Bourne Leisure in 2000. From 2003 onward, the business transitioned toward the Siblu name, while Haven Europe remained in use alongside it for approximately four years. Bourne Leisure sold Siblu, still associated with the Haven Europe business, to a group of English investors in 2004. A refinancing operation valued at €150 million was completed in 2006 with Hermes Private Equity identified in the supplied reference material. Expansion continued with the addition of Domaine de Litteau and Le Montourey in 2007, followed by Bonne Anse Plage and Les Sables du Midi in 2008. Rives de Condrieu was acquired in 2012. Siblu received a silver award in the camping and mobile-home company category at the British Travel Awards in 2014. Stirling Square Capital Partners acquired the business in 2015, and Simon Crabbe became president and chief executive in 2016. Siblu subsequently added Les Dunes de Contis in 2017, then Mar Estang and Le Conguel in 2018. The company expanded into the Netherlands in late 2018 through the acquisition of De Oase in Zeeland. In de Bongerd, also in Zeeland, followed in 2019, and Lauwersoog in the north of the Netherlands was acquired in early 2020. The supplied reference material records 23 parks at that point: 20 in France and three in the Netherlands. Operationally, Siblu serves holidaymakers through short- and long-stay accommodation rentals, primarily in mobile homes and chalets. It also sells mobile homes sited within its villages and may manage their subsequent rental. Its locations cover coastal and inland leisure destinations, and its multilingual staffing reflects the French, Dutch and English-speaking customer base described for the parks. The parks are primarily family-oriented and are mainly classified as four-star sites.
- 2020
Dutch portfolio reaches three parks
[1]The acquisition of Lauwersoog follows earlier Dutch acquisitions of De Oase and In de Bongerd.
- 2018
First Dutch park acquired
[1]Siblu enters the Netherlands by acquiring De Oase in Zeeland.
- 2015
Acquired by Stirling Square Capital Partners
[1]Stirling Square Capital Partners acquires Siblu.
- 2006
Major refinancing
[1]The business completes a refinancing operation involving €150 million, with Hermes Private Equity identified in the reference material.
- 2004
Sold to English investors
[1]Bourne Leisure sells Siblu and Haven Europe to a group of English investors.
- 2003
Transition to the Siblu brand
[1]Siblu and Haven Europe are used concurrently as the business gradually changes its name.
- 2000
Sold to Bourne Leisure
[1]The Rank Group sells Haven Europe to Bourne Leisure.
- 1994
Haven becomes Haven Europe
[1]The operating business adopts the Haven Europe name.
- 1986
The Rank Group acquires Haven
[1]The acquisition brings the two parks into The Rank Group's ownership and coincides with the beginning of mobile-home sales.
- 1981
First two holiday villages acquired
[1]The Haven brand acquires Les Charmettes and Le Lac des Rêves.
Products and positioning
A family-oriented, multilingual holiday-park operator combining resort accommodation with mobile-home ownership and rental management.
Holiday accommodation
Short- and long-stay mobile-home rentals
Siblu rents mobile homes across its managed holiday villages for family vacations of varying durations. The parks are located in coastal and inland leisure destinations in France and the Netherlands and generally combine accommodation with resort facilities. The offer is aimed at domestic and international visitors, supported by French-, English- and Dutch-speaking staff.
Holiday accommodation
Chalet accommodation
Chalets form part of the accommodation mix available at Siblu's family holiday parks. They complement mobile homes and provide another park-based lodging format for visitors seeking managed vacation accommodation in destinations across France and the Netherlands.
Holiday-home sales · 1986
Mobile-home ownership
Siblu sells mobile homes positioned within its holiday villages. The proposition is integrated with the operation of the parks, allowing purchasers to use their units for personal holidays and, where selected, make them available for rental through Siblu's management services.
Property and hospitality services
Rental management
Mobile-home owners can use Siblu's rental-management service to have their units marketed and managed as holiday accommodation. This links the company's ownership proposition with its visitor-rental business and provides an operational framework for owners who do not manage bookings themselves.
Brand decisions
2018
Entry into the NetherlandsM&ABackground
Siblu had built its park portfolio mainly in France.
Action taken
The company acquired De Oase in Zeeland, its first Dutch holiday park.
Aftermath
Siblu added further Dutch sites in 2019 and 2020.
2003
Gradual adoption of the Siblu nameStrategyBackground
The business had operated under the Haven Europe name after the 1994 renaming of Haven.
Action taken
From 2003, Siblu and Haven Europe were used in parallel while the company transitioned toward the Siblu brand.
Aftermath
The company subsequently became known primarily as Siblu.
Recent events
- 2020
Siblu acquires Lauwersoog holiday park[1]
M&A
The company added Lauwersoog in the northern Netherlands, bringing its reported portfolio to 23 parks.
- 2019
Siblu expands its Dutch portfolio[1]
M&A
Siblu acquired In de Bongerd in Zeeland, adding a second Dutch holiday park.
- 2018
Siblu acquires its first Dutch holiday park[1]
M&A
The company entered the Netherlands with the acquisition of De Oase in Zeeland.
- 2016
Simon Crabbe appointed president and chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Simon Crabbe was appointed to lead Siblu as president and chief executive officer.
- 2015
Stirling Square Capital Partners acquires Siblu[1]
M&A
Siblu was acquired by private-equity investor Stirling Square Capital Partners.
Sources1 sources
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