Hays seeks to fill gaps in UK shop network


Juliet Dennis


Hays Travel is looking to expand to plug gaps in its nationwide retail network as it pledges further investment in its existing shops. The UK’s largest agency chain


has 460 high street shops across the UK, including in Scotland, Wales, south and southwest England and its northeast heartland. Chief operating officer Jonathon


Woodall-Johnston said: “We are looking at chains and small


independents. There are still areas we don’t cover. In Sunderland we have got shops that are five or six miles from each other, but in some places [in the UK] they are much farther apart.” He added: “We are always looking


at other businesses to see if they could be the right fit and would complement our company.” In 2019, Hays Travel bought


Thomas Cook’s retail estate of 553 UK stores. It continued to make further acquisitions during the Covid pandemic, snapping up Welsh


miniple Tailor Made Travel in 2020 and homeworking franchise company Explorer Travel last year. Woodall-Johnston also revealed


plans to roll out digital screens across its entire existing network by the end of March 2023. Currently about 200 of its 460 stores have digital screens in their windows and inside. They are the original Hays Travel shops, including former Bath Travel stores. All shops will have media player


upgrades, which will allow Hays to regionalise its offers according to


All 460 Hays shops are set to have digital displays by March 2023


where stores are located to maximise sales opportunities. Woodall-Johnston said the


screens offered “speed to market” but stressed traditional window cards would not disappear completely. “It’s been a challenge in the


pandemic to get the messages printed,” he said. “We want to take the opportunity to smarten up our windows and invest in the high street.


The screens are very sophisticated.” i Jonathon Woodall-Johnston: The Interview, page 12


Gold Medal mini peaks is ‘biggest-ever’ Samantha Mayling


Gold Medal has revealed its biggest-ever mini peaks campaign, highlighting the expertise and knowledge of its staff. Called The Experts’ Edit, it will


run for six weeks from September 1 and feature exclusive offers and content for agents to use in their own marketing. Sarah Lancashire, group


marketing director, said: “We are putting our people front and centre, showcasing their insider knowledge. “They’re priceless for our


business – their expertise and strength in depth sets us apart.” Lancashire said the size of the


campaign “shows our belief in the buoyancy of the market”. “August is often seen as a soft


6 1 SEPTEMBER 2022


Gold Medal offers 115 assets for agents to use on social media


month but we have seen the opposite, with record weeks for cruise and our other brands,” she added. She said Gold Medal is working


with more than 60 hotel partners, airlines and tourist boards on the


campaign “to augment the level of expertise” among its destination managers and product managers. The trade-only operator’s 500 top-


selling agents will be sent a 64-page mini-peaks mailing – its biggest-ever – which can be overbranded and shared digitally with customers. There will also be 115


downloadable assets for social media and online posts, as well as a microsite for agents “to immerse themselves” in the hotels, offers and collateral, said Lancashire. Fam trips will be available, along with double Farebank Rewards for six weeks. The campaign comes as parent


company Gold Medal Travel Group looks to expand its specialist touring, luxury and cruise brands. Simon Applebaum, managing


director, told a Travel Weekly webcast travelweekly.co.uk


that Gold Medal will remain the group’s flagship brand, offering premium tailor-made holidays, but there will be a greater focus on developing sister brands Pure Luxury, Incredible Journeys and Cruise Plus. He is expanding the specialist


teams, while investing in technology, marketing and tools for agents. “We’re putting our money behind


these strategies and doing what we’re calling specialism at scale,” he said. Marketing will include a peaks


push for Pure Luxury, wave season promotions for Cruise Plus and a launch drive for Incredible Journeys.


Watch the interview with Simon Applebaum at: travelweekly.co.uk/media


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