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Hays sets sights on 40 new shops in West Yorkshire
Amie Keeley
at the Hays Travel Independence Group Conference in Portugal
Hays Travel plans to open between 30 and 40 shops in West Yorkshire as it marches on with its expansion beyond the northeast.
In addition to the six new stores confirmed for the Leeds and Bradford areas announced earlier this month, managing director John Hays said the retailer was keen to expand along the M62 corridor.
A shop in Leeds Crossgate Shopping Centre opened last week, with another planned for Bradford city centre. A lease is also being agreed for a store in Wakefield. Hays would not confirm the
exact locations or opening dates for these or the remaining three locations due to lease agreements still being finalised. On expanding further into
Yorkshire, Hays said he was targeting up to 40 shops in that area to have an impact. These could be a mix of existing travel stores and new ones on greenfield sites.
Hays, the UK’s largest independent travel agent, currently operates more than 100 branches, predominantly in the northeast. It acquired Bath Travel’s 60 shops in the south in 2013. Asked whether Hays was seeking “national domination”, he said: “There are no specific plans. If the right opportunities come up then we may buy more. We have saturated the northeast.
John Hays: ‘I don’t see national
domination’
“We’re opening six shops in
the Leeds Bradford area and are looking to have between 30 to 40 shops in that catchment area. “We’re looking all the time but
there is a big gap between the north and south so I don’t see national domination.” Hays said that by the end of the year, it will have opened up to 12
stores in the last quarter of 2015. › Hays IG Conference, page 20
5 BA open to Ryanair feeder flights
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia are ready to work with Ryanair as a feeder carrier for their long-haul flights.
Willie Walsh, chief executive
of the airlines’ parent group IAG, revealed on Monday that he had discussed a deal on feeder flights with Ryanair. Whether it happens will depend on passenger demand. Both Ryanair and easyJet recently announced their
willingness to feed passengers on to long-haul services. The budget carriers have previously ruled out coordinating flights with other airlines to offer interline tickets and check baggage through to final destinations. Speaking at the Airport
Operators Association conference in London, Walsh said: “If there is an opportunity to work with Ryanair I see no reason not to. If we can reach terms with Ryanair and customers want it, why not? “But what’s key is that
customers want it. We have said to 6
travelweekly.co.uk 26 November 2015
“We’ve said to Ryanair that we have no objection in principle to working with them”
Ryanair that we have no objection in principle to working with them.” However, Walsh said any deal
would not apply to Heathrow as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary “has no interest in Heathrow”. He added that there had been no contact between IAG carriers and easyJet.
The IAG chief hit out at the Airports Commission’s projected cost of a third runway at Heathrow, saying: “If those costs are real, we should not build it.” The government is poised to announce its decision on whether to accept the commission’s conclusion that Heathrow should have a third runway. But Walsh said: “The commission got its figures wrong – they are over-inflated. “I don’t endorse the findings. I definitely don’t support the costs
of a new runway.” › Talk Back, page 15
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