Hays Travel sets sights on hitting £2bn turnover
Amie Keeley
Hays Travel is looking to turn over in excess of £2 billion across the group this year as it revealed it is close to reaching an optimum number of stores. The UK’s biggest travel agency
chain reported a turnover of £1.1 billion for the year to October 2019 – before it took over Thomas Cook’s entire retail estate. The business has now opened 476 of the 553 former Thomas Cook stores, having been granted the licence to occupy all properties for 12 months. It closed 10 outlets at the end
of last year, but has since opened in a further 15 locations. Including its original Hays Travel
stores, the chain now operates a total of 650 shops across the country. Its Independence Group members operate a further 150 stores. Chief executive John Hays said
the acquisition of Cook’s stores had presented “lots of challenges”, but added: “We’re ahead of where we predicted and we had a very productive meeting with the CAA recently.”
Diamond fraudster Jamie Tann jailed for three years
The former finance director of coach and rail specialist Diamond Shortbreak Holidays has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of fraud offences. Jamie Tann, 38, of Savernake
6 5 MARCH 2020
John and Irene Hays
Chair Irene Hays said there had
been some consolidation and stores had been closed due to being in a state of disrepair or because they were due to be demolished. In other cases, Hays has opened in
new premises or in new towns, most recently in Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne. Irene Hays said there might be “one
or two more” shop closures but the business was “there or thereabouts” in terms of store numbers. John Hays said there had been a “fascination” with the ex-Cook
shops the company had closed but highlighted “lots of examples where Hays is trading two shops successfully in a lot of towns”. He said a more important focus
was staff. Of the 2,500 former Thomas Cook retail workers, 2,300 are now employed by Hays, which now has 3,000 shop staff overall. Hays Travel held its annual
conference for its Independence Group consortium in Birmingham last week. The event had been
postponed from the end of last year. i Hays Travel IG Conference, page 10
Dnata Travel boss
Iain Andrew leaves The boss of dnata’s travel division, Iain Andrew, has left the Emirates Group-owned business. Andrew joined dnata in December 2005. As divisional senior vice-president for travel services, he was responsible for travel business across the Middle East as well as its international investments. Steve Allen, divisional senior vice-president for UAE airport operations, will take on the role until a replacement is appointed.
Jane McDonald quits
TV to return to music Jane McDonald is “stepping away” from her TV shows to concentrate on music and other projects. The star of Cruising with Jane McDonald has presented the Bafta-winning Channel 5 show for four-and-a-half years. The seventh, and final, series is currently being filmed. This year, the singer started Holidaying with Jane McDonald, also on Channel 5. McDonald found fame on BBC show The Cruise in 1998. “I have had a blast!” she said.
Drive, Corby, Northamptonshire, moved a total of £685,648 from company accounts to accounts controlled by him. His actions left 10,000
holidaymakers without bookings and Diamond Shortbreak Holidays in administration. Tann falsified records for
the company, based in Market Harborough, to misrepresent its public financial position between March 2015 and January 2017. He appeared at Leicester
Crown Court last October where he pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation, three counts of false accounting, and one count of perverting the course of justice. On Friday (February 28), he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Detective constable Aaron
Horn, who led the investigation, said: “Tann held a position of responsibility and he abused this, leaving the company with no chance to recover from the losses suffered.”
Jamie Tann
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Rachel Lynch
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
