5 2
Monarch phases out Cosmos arm
Lee Hayhurst
lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk
Monarch is to phase out the Cosmos Holidays brand, and claimed trade feedback had underpinned the move.
The airline and operator this
week revealed it will produce the first Monarch brochure in December having started the transition from Cosmos some months ago. Andrew Swaffield, chief
executive of Monarch Group, said trade partners were not formally consulted but agents had let it be known that a dual-brand strategy was a challenge. “The trade has been reassuring
us anecdotally,” he said. “It has found the Cosmos brand has been increasingly difficult to differentiate and explain to customers. “Monarch is well understood as
a quality four-star-type brand that appeals to certain customers. We feel Monarch is a stronger brand.” The Cosmos name will not disappear entirely. It will continue to be used by sister firm Cosmos Tours, which trades separately as Cosmos Tours & Cruises. Monarch had an agreement to
continue using the Cosmos brand with Cosmos Tours & Cruises that was not part of the Monarch rescue secured with new owner Greybull Capital a year ago this month. The switch to Monarch will
result in the operator’s summer 2016 holidays being dedicated to the airline’s flying programme, with no third-party carriers used. Monarch’s seat-only broker Avro
and bed bank Somewhere2stay. com will also operate under the Monarch brand. A new trade website,
monarchagents.co.uk, is being developed and will be launched by the end of the year, while Monarch works with its agent partners to bed in the brand change. Richard Francis, managing
director of Monarch tour operations, said: “We will be able to give our trade partners and their customers one integrated programme of flights, holidays and hotels. “We believe bringing the
Monarch brand into the trade for the first time and putting all of our product under this one well-established brand provides
clarity and consistency.” › Special Report, page 16
Cook plans to cut 48 managers
Hollie-Rae Merrick
hollie@travelweekly.co.uk
Thomas Cook has put almost 50 jobs at risk as it looks to change its cluster manager system to include more stores.
The retailer has begun a month-
long consultation with 109 branch and cluster managers over plans to restructure its retail division. Cook said 48 members of staff
were at risk of losing their jobs. Currently, cluster managers
look after between two and five branches, but Thomas Cook now plans to reorganise the structure to include additional large and small standalone stores. Existing clusters could also be reorganised. Cook wouldn’t confirm how
many stores would join clusters and how big the clusters might become. However, a spokeswoman said more details would emerge as the consultation continued, and that the planned structure was earmarked to start in November. The announcement comes just
Monarch staff show off the operator’s
new uniforms
10 weeks after Kathryn Darbandi, director of retail and customer experience, told Travel Weekly that, three months into her new job, she had been “entirely
“We would hope to retain as many staff as possible in similar roles in the business”
converted” by Cook’s cluster manager approach. It had been introduced as part of a restructure that saw more than 900 retail jobs axed and nearly 200 shops shut. This week, Darbandi said the
proposed cuts were part of “a commitment to improve the profitability of the UK business” and make the brand an “even stronger” operation in the UK. “Should the proposal go ahead,
we would hope to encourage people to consider roles in the business and to retain as many staff as possible in similar roles,” she said. Cook stressed that while cuts
were being proposed, investment was also being made in its regional manager field team. The team’s number of territories is being increased from 21 to 24 across its north, central and south divisions. Cook said in a statement the new structure would help “drive performance, compliance and to deliver exceptional service”.
8 October 2015
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