Antin Infrastructure Partners has signed a binding agreement to acquire Aquavista Watersides & Marinas, the UK’s largest marina owner and operator. The transaction is expected to close in October 2025.
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Nottingham, Aquavista operates 32 inland and coastal marinas with more than 5,300 berths across England. The company provides residential and leisure berths, floating homes, boat sales and marine services.
Demand for marina berths has increased steadily in recent years, supported by growth in UK boat ownership and rising interest in residential moorings. According to the company, this trend has contributed to high occupancy and stable revenues across its portfolio.
The acquisition represents a new stage of growth for Aquavista following a seven-year partnership with private equity investor LDC. During this period, the business nearly tripled its revenue and doubled its marina network through acquisitions, including the purchase of Castle Marinas in 2021.
David Bains, Partner and Head of the East Midlands and East of England at LDC, said: “Our seven-year partnership has established Aquavista as a market leader through organic and acquisitive growth, including the strategic acquisition of Castle Marinas, which we supported with significant follow-on funding. It has been a privilege to support this locally headquartered business to become a national success story, and we wish the very best to Steve and his team on the next stage of their journey.”
Aquavista’s CEO, Steve de Polo, stated: “LDC has been an invaluable partner and the scale we’ve achieved together has enabled us to significantly enhance our services putting us in an incredibly strong position for future growth. We are delighted to partner with Antin to build on the strong foundations developed with LDC’s support and accelerate our growth. We see many expansion opportunities ahead, and Antin is the right partner to help us consolidate our leadership and deliver our proposition of quality facilities and services to an ever-greater number of customers who share our vision of Freedom and Togetherness.”
Antin’s Mid Cap Fund I will invest in Aquavista alongside its management team. This marks the sixth investment by the €2.2 billion ($2.59 billion USD) fund, which focuses on mid-sized infrastructure companies in Europe and North America across the energy, environment, digital, transport and social sectors.
Simon Soder and Assia Belkahia, respectively Senior Partner and Partner at Antin Infrastructure Partners, commented: “Aquavista has all the characteristics we look for in our mid cap strategy, notably high barriers to entry and strong resiliency, and benefits from supportive long-term tailwinds. The company has a clear and ambitious plan to scale up its already leading presence in an attractive market segment, and we look forward to working with Aquavista’s management and team to support the company’s continued growth in marina infrastructure.”
