# Saga plc

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**Saga** is a British company focused on serving the needs of those aged 50 and over, originally owned by its founder, later acquired by [private equity](/source/Private_equity), and ultimately listed on the [London Stock Exchange](/source/London_Stock_Exchange). It has 2.7 million customers. The company operates sites on the [Kent](/source/Kent) and [Sussex](/source/Sussex) coast: Enbrook Park and Priory Square.[2][3][4] It is listed on the [London Stock Exchange](/source/London_Stock_Exchange) and is a constituent of the [FTSE 250 Index](/source/FTSE_250_Index).[5]

## History

### 1951–2020

The business was founded by [Sidney De Haan](/source/Sidney_De_Haan) in 1951 and was passed to his son [Roger De Haan](/source/Roger_De_Haan) who took over in 1984 after his father's retirement.[6] Saga was acquired by staff (20%) backed by the private equity firm [Charterhouse](/source/Charterhouse_Capital_Partners) in October 2004.[7] In 2007 Saga merged with [The AA](/source/The_Automobile_Association) (owned by [private equity](/source/Private_equity) firms [CVC](/source/CVC_Capital_Partners) and [Permira](/source/Permira)) to form [Acromas Holdings](/source/Acromas_Holdings).[8][9]

In July 2011, Saga acquired [Allied Healthcare](/source/Allied_Healthcare). On 31 January 2015, it wrote it down to zero, and then sold it, at a small net profit, to Aurelius Group in December 2015.[10][11][12]

In May 2014, Saga Group Ltd was successfully listed on the [London Stock Exchange](/source/London_Stock_Exchange) as Saga PLC.[13] Also in 2014, Saga acquired Bolton based luxury holiday company Destinology.[14]

In January 2020, Saga appointed [Euan Sutherland](/source/Euan_Sutherland) as CEO of the Saga Group. At the same time, Saga's escorted touring brand Titan Travel was put up for sale, a process paused due to the [coronavirus pandemic](/source/Coronavirus_pandemic) that started that year.[15]

### Since 2020, debt problems

In 2019 the company issued a profit warning and since then struggled to reduce its debt. Part of the strategy has been to sell off assets.[16]

In February 2020, Saga sold its motorcycle insurance business, Bennetts, to Atlanta Investment Holdings Ltd, part of the Ardonagh group, for £26 million.[17]

In March 2020, Saga sold its Patricia White's and Country Cousins domiciliary care agencies, now rebranded as Trinity Homecare, to private equity firm Limerston Capital for a reported £14 million.[18]

In June 2020 Saga Care at Home permanently closed, which was the end of Saga's involvement in the homecare sector. Care at Home's assets were assigned to another care provider.[19]

In November 2023, Euan Sutherland resigned as chief executive effective from January 2024 after serving for four years.[20][21] He was replaced by the company's finance director Mike Hazell.[20][21]

## Operations

Saga's operations include:[22]

- Saga Holidays provides [package holidays](/source/Package_holiday) and tours across the globe. It owns and operates the cruise ships [*Spirit of Discovery*](/source/Spirit_of_Discovery_(2019)) and *[Spirit of Adventure](/source/Spirit_of_Adventure_(2020_ship))*[a][23] as well as Titan Travel and luxury holiday company Destinology.[24]
- Saga Services provides a wide range of Insurance products, Motor, Home, Travel, Caravan, Pet, Private Medical, Life Insurance, Motorhome.[25]
- Saga Personal Finance provides savings accounts, credit cards, travel money, financial advice, [equity release](/source/Equity_release), share dealing, annuities, life assurance & long term care funding advice.[26]
- Saga SOS Personal Alarms.[27]
- Saga also owns direct mail and fulfilment service Metro Mail.[26]

## Magazine

Saga operates a subscription magazine, *[Saga Magazine](/source/Saga_Magazine)*, with a circulation of 627,000 and a readership of one million per month; it has been described as the "United Kingdom's biggest selling monthly subscription title".[28] Founded by [Paul Bach](/source/Paul_Bach), under his editorship, it became Britain's biggest selling monthly magazine.[29]

## Television campaign

In 2021 Saga launched a television advertising campaign called *Experience is Everything* with actor [Nicholas Farrell](/source/Nicholas_Farrell).[30]

## Notes

1. The ship was delivered on 29 September 2020, but in response to travel restrictions caused by the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), Saga postponed the inaugural cruise until 26 July 2021.[31]

## References

1. ["Annual Results for the year ended 31 January 2026"](https://corporate.saga.co.uk/media/5bajv2qi/saga-plc-2025-26-preliminary-results-statement-vf.pdf). Saga Group. Retrieved 15 April 2026.

1. [Saga Group Limited](http://www.hoovers.com/company/Saga_Group_Limited/ryhsysi-1.html)

1. ["MetroMail"](http://www.metromail.co.uk/). *metromail.co.uk*. Retrieved 3 April 2015.

1. ["Welcome to Saga. Over 50s Insurance, Holidays, Magazine and More"](http://www.saga.co.uk). *www.saga.co.uk*. Retrieved 3 April 2015.

1. ["Greencore Group (UK): Acquisition of Bakkavor Group (UK): Changes in FTSE UK Index Series"](https://research.ftserussell.com/products/index-notices/home/getnotice/?id=2618378). FTSE Russell. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.

1. ["Saga Holidays founder dies"](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1828274.stm). BBC. 18 February 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

1. ["Saga sale nets £1.2bn for founder's son"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2896439/Saga-sale-nets-1.2bn-for-founders-son.html). The Telegraph. 5 October 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

1. Goodman, Matthew (23 September 2007). ["Equity windfall for Saga and AA staff"](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/equity-windfall-for-saga-and-aa-staff-w93359nhzfn). *The Sunday Times*

1. Walsh, Dominic (19 August 2012). ["Saga plans flotation as earnings rise 8 per cent"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110612210045/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/support_services/article4296821.ece). *The Sunday Times*. Archived from [the original](http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/support_services/article4296821.ece) on 12 June 2011.

1. ["Allied Healthcare International Inc. to Be Acquired by Saga Group Limited"](http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/allied-healthcare-international-inc-to-be-acquired-by-saga-group-limited-nasdaq-ahci-1543877.htm). Market wired. 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2016.

1. ["Saga Sells Allied Healthcare Business To Aurelius For GBP19 Million"](http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1448974146128901600/saga-sells-allied-healthcare-business-to-aurelius-for-gbp19-million.aspx). Morning Star. Retrieved 13 February 2017.

1. ["Saga Sells Allied Healthcare"](https://www.caremanagementmatters.co.uk/saga-sells-allied-healthcare/). Care Management Matters. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2017.

1. ["Saga PLC company summary"](http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary.html?fourWayKey=GB00BLT1Y088GBGBXSET3). London Stock Exchange. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

1. ["Saga takes majority stake in Destinology"](http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/48998/saga-takes-majority-stake-in-destinology). Travel Weekly. Retrieved 22 September 2017.

1. Chapple, James (3 March 2020). ["Saga pauses Titan Travel sale due to coronavirus"](https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/news/saga-pauses-titan-travel-sale-due-to-coronavirus--reports-21542). *[Travel Trade Gazette](/source/Travel_Trade_Gazette)*

1. Goss, Louis (22 January 2023). ["Saga looks to sell off insurance business to help pay down £721m debt"](https://www.cityam.com/saga-looks-to-sell-off-insurance-business-to-help-pay-down-721m-debt/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231003075129/https://www.cityam.com/saga-looks-to-sell-off-insurance-business-to-help-pay-down-721m-debt/) 3 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

1. Hancocks, Simon (17 February 2020). ["Saga sells Bennetts Motorcycle insurance for £26m"](https://www.visordown.com/news/industry/saga-sells-bennetts-motorcycle-insurance-%C2%A326m). *Visordown*

1. ["Sale of introductory care agencies, Trading Update – Company Announcement - FT.com"](https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-14448631-0JG1SA77IEA3I4EIIMMS4H4VQT). *markets.ft.com*

1. ["Preliminary Results 2022"](https://corporate.saga.co.uk/media/1516/saga-plc-2021-22-preliminary-results-statement-vf.pdf). Saga. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

1. Hosking, Patrick (2023-11-29). ["Saga chief quits after four years at the helm"](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/article/saga-chief-quits-after-four-years-at-the-helm-bqzfcn2q2). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. [ISSN 0140-0460](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 2023-11-29.

1. Smith, Ian (28 November 2023). ["Saga chief Euan Sutherland resigns as group explores debt reduction"](https://www.ft.com/content/66a33a55-3fcd-4756-89f1-bf015202a0d5). *www.ft.com*. Retrieved 2023-11-29.

1. ["Saga's holidays help lift revenues as car insurance decelerates"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11573431/Sagas-holidays-help-lift-revenues-as-car-insurance-decelerates.html). The Telegraph. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

1. ["Ocean cruises"](https://travel.saga.co.uk/cruises/ocean.aspx). Saga Holidays. Retrieved 30 July 2025.

1. ["Travel"](https://www.corporate.saga.co.uk/about-us/our-divisions/travel/). Saga Corporate. Retrieved 5 January 2017.

1. ["Insurance"](https://www.corporate.saga.co.uk/about-us/our-divisions/insurance/). Saga plc. Retrieved 30 July 2025.

1. ["Other Businesses (principally includes Money, Publishing, Mailing and Printing)"](https://www.corporate.saga.co.uk/about-us/our-divisions/other-businesses/). Saga plc. Retrieved 30 July 2025.

1. ["Personal SOS Alarms Service"](https://www.saga.co.uk/sos-personal-alarm). Saga. Retrieved 30 July 2025.

1. ["Saga magazine gets a new look"](http://www.wemakemedia.co.uk/blog/Saga-magazine-gets-a-new-look-9/). *Wemakemedia*. Retrieved 13 February 2017.

1. ["Obituaries — Paul Bach"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8830319/Paul-Bach.html). *The Daily Telegraph*. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.

1. [*Experience is Everything - Insurance*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvTGVTmQUDM) (30" video). Saga. 5 November 2021. – via YouTube.

1. Payne, Holly (2022). ["Bookings open for Saga Cruises' 2021 UK summer sailings"](https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/bookings-open-saga-cruises-2021-uk-summer-sailings). *Seatrade Cruise News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210730092614/https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/bookings-open-saga-cruises-2021-uk-summer-sailings) 30 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 January 2022.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Saga plc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_plc) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_plc?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.