CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm with a stake in rugby's Six Nations Championship, is considering acquiring a stake in Loveholidays, one of the UK's largest online travel agents. Loveholidays, backed by Livingbridge since 2018, has been exploring ownership options for several months and may lean towards selling a minority stake.

CVC's interest is still in the early stages and may not result in a formal offer. Loveholidays, along with OnTheBeach and TUI, has benefited significantly from the post-pandemic surge in holiday demand. The company, founded in 2012 by Alex Francis and Jonny Marsh, specializes in trips to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands, offering 500 billion possible holiday packages from its inventory of 35,000 hotels and 99% of all flights.

Last year, Sky News reported that bankers at Evercore were preparing to manage a process valuing Loveholidays at around £1 billion. CVC declined to comment on the potential bid.