We told you so - Travelsupermarket to go public

One of our predictions from January this year is extremely likely to come true: Moneysupermarket.com, umbrella brand for Travelsupermarket.com, is to float on the London Stock Exchange within the next four weeks.

Reports on the Times Online claim owner Simon Nixon (brother of Travelsupermarket managing director Chris and called a "university dropout" by the Guardian) will be worth around £500 million as a result of the listing.

The company will be worth £1 billion, reports suggest.

Interesting background to the listing: Nixon (Simon) famously fell out with his co-founder Duncan Cameron and has not spoken to him for five years. He recently bought the remaining shares from Cameron for £162 million last month.

So what will the consequences be for a publicly listed Travelsupermarket?

Nixon has pledged to continue the group's extremely high profile TV advertising campaign. There may even be a few acquisitions on the cards, too.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Technorati tags: finance insurance moneysupermarket travelsupermarket stock exchange