NEWS
SAGA ORDERS ITS FIRST RIVER SHIP:
windows. Onboard facilities will include a lounge, bar, library, two restaurants, sun deck, whirlpool bath and gym. Fares will include gratuities and ‘VIP’ airport
transfers. Bookings for the ship will open when its first itineraries are published on December 2.
staff fuel shop growth The crown jewels of
any shop are its staff. I have got two fantastic sets of staff from four former Cook shops
a further two branches this year, in St Helen’s and Birkenhead in Merseyside, bringing its portfolio to 20 – having recently opened a shop in Stoke-on-Trent staffed by former Cook agents. Operations director
Mark Johnson is keen to speak to former Cook staff about vacancies in its new branches. Barrhead Travel revealed
this week it hopes to open 10 shops by Christmas, as part of its 100-branch expansion plan – and recruit ex-Cook and non-Cook agents. Ninan Chacko, chief executive
Other locations are being assessed STORY TOP
of parent Travel Leaders Group, said the “silver lining” of Cook’s failure was that it “demonstrated the value of the travel agent” and said it was an opportunity to accelerate growth.
by Barrhead’s expansion team led by former Cook executives Chris Motershead, Kathryn Darbandi and Nicki Tempest-Mitchell. Meanwhile, Hays Travel
confirmed it was “pressing on” with opening all 555 Cook
shops it acquired leases for – more
than 450 were open by Tuesday. Hays has taken on 2,026 ex-Cook
shop staff and offered jobs to a further 59. It has also hired 95 shop staff who were not working at Cook. Chairman Irene Hays said it was interviewing 35 people a day, adding: “Te two most important things are quality staff and location.” Midcounties Co-operative Travel
Miles Morgan Travel staff in Stroud: Jennifer Smith, Lindsey Fulton, Tracy Webb, Tina Morrison and Eileen Reynolds
travelweekly.co.uk
said it would open five to 10 new stores a year. Referencing Hays and Barrhead’s expansions, chief retail officer for specialist business, Alistair Rowland, warned: “In certain areas, there will be overcapacity of agents all chasing a lack of package holidays, and that will be a worry.”
Tui is to close 34 shops over the next 12 months, but re-deploy all agents to new premises. Te agency has 562 shops
across the UK and continually reviews locations based on population and footfall, said chief marketing officer Katie McAlister. Speaking to Travel Weekly
at Tui’s Retail Managers’ Conference in Crete, she said: “We will still have a massive high street footprint.” McAlister said the centre of
gravity of some town and city centres is changing. She cited Bicester, where there is a big new housing development. Meanwhile, Virgin Holidays
has opened the first of four new v-rooms. Te Chelmsford branch will be followed by standalone stores in St Albans next week, Leeds on November 27 and
Liverpool on December 10. i Tui conference, page 12
Tui moves shops as Virgin opens four v-rooms
waterways and is due to launch in spring 2021. Inspired by Saga ocean vessel Spirit of Discovery, it will have 95 cabins, almost all of which will have a French balcony and floor-to-ceiling
190-berth Spirit of the Rhine will sail on the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube and Dutch
Saga has placed an order for its first river cruise ship. The
7 NOVEMBER 2019
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