NEWS 1
YOU NEED TO KNOW
AT A GLANCE Concept stores
l Thomas Cook opened its first concept store in the White Rose shopping centre in Leeds in 2012. The new-look agency won the Innovation prize at Travel Weekly’s Agent Achievement Awards.
l The concept stores have videos streamed on LCDs as window displays, a self-help ‘advice bar’ and a lounge with a large touchscreen TV for group and family bookings.
Cook’s first concept store in Leeds. Inset, Kathryn Darbandi
Cook unveils plan to open 10 more concept stores
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Thomas Cook has revealed it is to double the number of concept stores in its retail estate to 20 in the next year.
The new flagship stores are planned in areas where Cook does not already have a presence. Kathryn Darbandi, director of
retail and customer experience, said five shops were already “in the pipeline” and due to open within six months. Locations have not yet been revealed. Cook currently has 10 concept
stores in its 796-strong retail estate. These tend to be in out- of-town or high footfall locations, such as regional shopping centres, and boast the latest technology,
including virtual reality headsets, large touchscreen TVs and tablets, in a modern environment. Revealing the news as Thomas
Cook gears up to mark its 175th anniversary, Darbandi said: “These are flagship, sizeable stores where we know we can do very well with the Thomas Cook brand. “We are quite well-progressed
with five of the stores.” In May the company announced
it was closing 12 stores but hinted at expansion into new locations. The new openings will coincide with an ongoing shop refurbishment programme, which represents a “significant” investment, according to Darbandi. Cook refurbished 30 shops this
year and plans to revamp a further 50 by Christmas and another 50 early next year.
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travelweekly.co.uk 23 June 2016
“These will be flagship, sizeable stores where we know we can do very well”
Darbandi, who joined in April
last year from Tui, added: “This is about replacing furniture and brochure racks, making the shops lighter, fresher and more modern. “We have also invested heavily
in our windows in the last 12 months; they are less cluttered and more modern. “My view is we need to look
the best [travel agency] on the high street. We have got work to do and that is why we have got a refurbishment programme. “It is a significant investment and endorses the importance of
l The Leeds store was a “test bed” for ideas to be rolled out in its larger shops.
l Thomas Cook has since opened concept stores in locations including Essex, Stockton-on-Tees, Edinburgh, Bristol and Kent.
l Thomas Cook declined to reveal the locations of its planned new concept stores.
retail [shops] in the business.” At the recent ITT conference
in Tel Aviv, Cook UK managing director Chris Mottershead was shown a picture of a store and admitted it looked uninspiring. Last year Thomas Cook spent
£9 million on store refits and £98 million on shop closures group-wide, according to the company’s annual report. Darbandi added there were
also plans to further increase the number of Cook agents going on fam trips next year. This year the company will have sent 500 on trips, double last year’s figure. “It would be wonderful to
send one agent from each shop so if we could get up to 800 next year that would be a great
milestone,” she said. › Charity bike ride, page 8
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