Richardson's

What Richardson's does

Richardson's (legally Richardsons Leisure Limited) is a privately held, family-controlled leisure and tourism operator headquartered in Stalham, Norfolk, United Kingdom, founded in 1944 when Robert Richardson Jnr purchased his first motor cruiser and began offering boating holidays on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads. The company operates the largest holiday charter fleet in the Broads National Park from Stalham Marina and has grown into a multi-site leisure group with nearly 200 team members across four Norfolk locations: Stalham (boating holidays and Marina Café), Hemsby (5-star Hemsby Beach Holiday Park and Coastal Café), Wroxham (day boat hire), and Lowestoft (Family Entertainment Centre featuring bowling, arcade, soft play, and Bar & Diner). The portfolio spans accommodation, water-based recreation, indoor entertainment, and food-and-beverage, with a wholly owned subsidiary Richardson's Boat Sales handling brokerage.

The business model is direct-to-consumer across holiday accommodation, boating charters, day boat hire, walk-in entertainment, and café sales, with bookings taken via telephone and in-person reception; gift vouchers (£10/£20/£50) extend the purchase channel. There is no proprietary technology stack, app, or API surface; the digital presence consists of a corporate website hub linking multiple sub-brand sites, YouTube video content, and employer branding campaigns targeting seasonal hiring. Pricing for holidays and charters is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Richardson's serves three primary customer personas: families and groups seeking beach holidays at Hemsby, outdoor and nature enthusiasts exploring the Broads by water, and day visitors using the Lowestoft entertainment centre or cafés. Customer acquisition relies on regional reputation, VisitEngland 5-star ratings, "Best in Britain" boating holidays quality recognition, employer branding awards (Eastern Daily Press Employer of the Year, Investors in People Gold, Real Living Wage), and community sponsorships including a three-year lead sponsorship of the Broads Discovery Hubs network with The Broads Charitable Trust. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, and no parent company; the company is led by Chief Executive Greg Munford.

Name

Richardson's

Legal name

Richardsons Leisure Limited

Website

https://richardsonsholidays.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Holiday Parks and Leisure Tourism

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (72121), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Day & Short-Horizon Private Cruises (Half-Day/Day/Overnight) (THAEAEAF), Marina RV & Waterfront Campgrounds (THAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Holiday parks
• Boating holidays
• Day boat hire
• Family entertainment
• Marina services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Holiday Park Accommodation: Family holidays at Hemsby Beach Holiday Park including accommodation and park activities.
2. Boating Holidays: Boating holidays in the Broads National Park from Stalham Marina, the largest holiday charter fleet in the Broads.
3. Day Boat Hire: Self-drive all-weather day boats seating up to twelve people for daily hire on the Broads.
4. Family Entertainment Centre: Bowling, arcade games, soft play area, and Bar & Diner at Lowestoft location.
5. Café Operations: Coastal Café at Hemsby and Marina Café at Stalham offering coffee, food, and refreshments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Richardson's is a multi-generational family leisure business providing holiday park accommodation, boating holidays, day boat hire, family entertainment, and café food and beverage across Norfolk and the Broads National Park. The company operates Hemsby Beach Holiday Park (a 5-star beachside park), the largest holiday charter fleet in the Broads from Stalham Marina, self-drive day boats, a family entertainment centre in Lowestoft, and two cafés, all sold directly to consumers.

Product overview

Richardson's is a leisure and tourism company offering a portfolio of holiday and day-visit products across Norfolk. The core offerings include Hemsby Beach Holiday Park (5-star beachside holiday accommodation), Boating Holidays (the largest holiday charter fleet in the Broads National Park), Day Boat Hire (self-drive boats for up to 12 people), Family Entertainment Centre (bowling, arcade, and soft play in Lowestoft), and two coffee shop locations (Coastal Café in Hemsby and Marina Café at Stalham Marina). The company operates as a unified leisure brand with products designed to complement each other—holiday parks, waterways activities, and entertainment—all centered on the Norfolk Broads and coastal area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hemsby Beach Holiday Park 5-star holiday park on the Norfolk coast in Hemsby offering family beach holidays with golden sands and on-park entertainment and activities for families and groups.
• Boating Holidays

Quantifiable outcome

• Employer of the Year - Eastern Daily Press Business Awards
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Broads Charitable TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRichardsons Leisure Limited is the launch partner and lead sponsor of the Discovery Hubs network in the Broads National Park. The company is providing significant funding in a three-year sponsorship deal to support completion of the hub network and fund a ranger position. The ranger will work across existing Discovery Hub sites, engaging with visitors, residents, and young people with ways to explore and learn about the National Park. The Hubs will serve as information points explaining the history, wildlife, and landscape of the area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hoseasons: One of the UK's largest holiday-rental and boating-holiday platforms with a sizeable Broads charter fleet. Competes directly with Richardson's Boating Holidays for UK domestic boating-vacation demand and aggregates similar self-catering parks.
• Haven Holidays: Part of Bourne Leisure operating 38+ UK holiday parks with on-park entertainment, dining and family activities. Closest direct peer to Hemsby Beach Holiday Park on the family holiday-park product and entertainment-led stay experience.
• Parkdean Resorts: UK's largest domestic holiday-park operator with 60+ parks and integrated entertainment, food and beverage. Comparable multi-asset family-park model to Richardson's, though at materially larger scale.
• Norfolk Broads Direct: Boat hire and Broads holiday operator running from Hemsby/Stalham with a similar product mix of day boats and self-catering holiday cruisers. Directly competes with Richardson's for boating-holiday customers on the same Norfolk waterways.
• Butlin's: Three UK seaside resorts with family entertainment, dining and accommodation under one brand. Competitor in the British family-fun short-break market Richardson's addresses through its holiday park and Lowestoft entertainment centre.
• Center Parcs UK: Family forest-village resort concept across the UK with on-site activities, dining and accommodation. Comparable on the family leisure-vacation segment and integrated activity/entertainment offering Richardson's pursues at Hemsby.
• Herbert Woods: Long-established Norfolk Broads boat hire and brokerage operator out of Potter Heigham. Overlaps with Richardson's on day-boat hire, weekly charter fleet and marina services on the same inland waterway.
• Away Resorts: Mid-sized UK holiday-park group with multiple seaside locations and on-park entertainment aimed at families. Directly comparable in scale and product proposition to Richardson's holiday-park business.

Broad incumbents

• Warner Leisure Hotels: UK country-house hotel brand with on-site entertainment, dining and activities, sibling to Haven and Butlin's under Bourne Leisure. Overlaps with Richardson's on entertainment-inclusive UK leisure breaks but targets an older demographic.

Emerging players

• Forest Holidays: UK cabin and treehouse holidays in forest locations with on-site activities. Adjacent nature-immersive leisure accommodation offering overlapping with the Broads outdoor-adventure experience Richardson's sells.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/broadsboating

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Richardson's