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Manfredi Lefebvre confirms his quest to buy Crystal CruisesManfredi Lefebvre confirms his quest to buy Crystal Cruises

Heritage Group, managed by Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, former owner and executive chairman of Silversea Cruises, confirmed it has made two fully funded offers to acquire Crystal Cruises.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

February 15, 2022

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

One offer was made in first quarter 2021 and one after the announcement of the liquidation, Heritage said in a statement to Seatrade Cruise News.

'Could transform Crystal into a success story'

'We are a very credible buyer with roots in the cruise industry that stretch back in the late '80s. We are firmly convinced that with our knowledge and know-how of the ultra-luxury segment we could transform Crystal into a success story. The combination with Abercrombie & Kent could generate synergies that would facilitate the recovery and partially compensate for the deterioration of the brand exacerbated in the last few weeks,' Lefebvre said.

Love and passion for the Crystal brand

Added Cristina Levis, chief investment officer of Heritage and former managing director of Silversea Expeditions: 'My love and passion for the Crystal brand and product goes back to the time when I was at the helm of Silversea Expeditions; I was telling my team to look to Crystal as an example of great brand like Silversea, to try and emulate and compete against.

'Crystal’s ships have a soul which I sincerely hope won’t be left to die,' Levis continued. 'Restoring trade’s and passengers’ trust won’t be easy but if we are given the chance we will go the extra mile not to disappoint them.'

Heritage is assisted by David Ereira and Matthew Poxon, partners at Paul Hastings.

See also 'Crystal Cruises is done, assignee appointed to handle liquidation'

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Crystal Cruises

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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