CenterParcs 3.34

Center Parcs is a European network of holiday villages that was founded in the Netherlands in 1968. It is operated by two separate companies: Center Parcs Europe (CPE), which is operated by Pierre & Vacances on mainland European sites owned by Blackstone Group; and Center Parcs UK, which runs holiday villages in Great Britain and Ireland owned by Brookfield Properties Corporation.HistoryDutch entrepreneur, Piet Derksen, started a sporting goods shop in 1953 at Lijnbaan, Rotterdam. Its name was 'Sporthuis Centrum', 'Sport House Centre'. It succeeded and Derksen expanded into 17 outlets across the Netherlands, and then added camping articles to the range.In 1968, Derksen purchased woodland near Reuver so staff and customers could relax in small tents. The park, De Lommerbergen, was successful, the tents were quickly replaced by bungalows. In 1987, Center Parcs opened its first UK resort at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. This brought the company into the sights of expanding brewer Scottish and Newcastle, which later bought the group.