The investment firm which controls the Pinewood film studios empire has joined the list of bidders circling Center Parcs, the upmarket chain of holiday villages.

Sky News has learnt that Aermont is expected to table an indicative offer for Center Parcs, which could cost a buyer more than £4bn, this week.

A deadline has been set on Tuesday for initial bids.

Aermont’s interest adds it to a list including Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC), which has teamed up with KSL Capital Partners, a private equity investor; and CVC Capital Partners, the buyout giant.

Blackstone, Center Parcs UK’s former owner, and Antin, an infrastructure fund, are also considering bidding.

Center Parcs trades from six sites in the UK and Ireland, and has enjoyed buoyant trading since the lockdowns triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company has been owned by Brookfield Property Partners, the Canadian property giant, since 2015.

Average mortgage rate rises above 6% for two-year fixed deal

Vodafone chief executive says it is ‘very early’ to talk about job losses under Three merger

Publicly owned clean energy company will create thousands of jobs in Scotland, Sir Keir Starmer to say

Brookfield has hired Bank of America, Barclays and Eastdil Secured to manage the sale.

The resorts chain boasts one of the British leisure industry’s best-known brands, drawing millions of visitors annually to its five UK sites and the latest addition to its portfolio, at Longford Forest in Ireland.

Center Parcs’ UK and Ireland operations are owned separately to the European business that also trades under the brand.

The brand dates back to 1968, when the first village opened in the Netherlands.

Aermont declined to comment.

Related posts:

Branson plots $3bn merger to take Virgin Orbit on to US stock market Jaguar Land Rover swings to £302m loss as it counts cost of global chip shortages Climate, travel and tourism Rothermere on brink of £400m pension deal to take Daily Mail-owner private Don’t ask for big pay rises Bank of England governor suggests as it battles surging inflation Energy bills could see further increase in autumn, British Gas boss warns Punch-owners drink to £200m bid for pub chain Amber Taverns Musk open to ‘exceptional’ Twitter staff working from home as he outlines plans to reach one billion users BT to upgrade cost-savings target to £3bn as inflationary pressures bite Bank of England expected to unveil biggest interest rate rise since the 1980s later today BT warns of job cuts as it dials in £500m of additional cost savings Superdry hires City advisers to fashion cost-cutting plans