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Agencies in England report a mix of excitement and nervousness as the national lockdown eases and many prepare to reopen. Juliet Dennis reports


H


igh street travel agents across England are gearing up to reopen next week for the first


time in more than three months. While the prime minister has


confirmed the government is “sticking at” plans for non-essential retail to reopen to the public from April 12, not every bricks-and-mortar travel agency will open immediately. For many, the process involved has proved challenging. Many agencies, including Tui,


Midcounties Co-operative and Althams Travel Services, have signalled all their stores will reopen on April 12 where possible, but others are taking a more cautious approach based on demand, staff and the government’s travel restart plans. Kuoni is phasing its reopenings;


Hays Travel is adopting a “hybrid” approach that will see some shops open but others remain closed; and Barrhead Travel will “gradually” reopen doors in England from next week. Most travel retailers expect to


open for reduced hours initially, to limit in-store customer numbers and


10 8 APRIL 2021


to offer bookable appointments. For many independents,


reopening on the high street is critical to letting local customers know they are still there. According to a survey of


Advantage Travel Partnership’s English members, more than 80% plan to reopen on April 12. Leisure director Kelly Cookes said: “They feel it is important they are seen to be open and available for bookings.” However, 50% of respondents


said they would still need to use the furlough scheme until September, indicating not all staff will return straight away, and many will not open for the same hours as normal.


Reopening logistics Kuoni said the logistics of store reopenings were “complex”. “There is a lot to consider,” said


retail sales development manager Andrew Fielding. “We’ve taken into account the


staffing of each store to cover busy times. We need to be sensible and economic. The challenge is to put that [mixed reopenings] message


across to our customer base.” Kuoni plans to open six of its John


Lewis concession stores on April 12, putting 20 of its 84 retail staff back on the shop floor, followed by a further eight shops in April and another nine at the end of May. By the end of June, all 29 Kuoni outlets should be open. Each store has a personalised


reopening document to ensure it meets Covid regulations. Most will be open 10am-6pm. Staff will not be allowed to move between desks, must wear masks, sanitise desks and phones between client visits, and maintain social distancing. Most stores will have two agents per day and no more than two couples in at any one time. Tui hopes the majority of its 314


stores, excluding 48 earmarked for closure, will welcome all staff back on April 12 but said “temporary working solutions”, such as different rota patterns, were in place for some smaller stores unable to follow social distancing guidelines. It also said customers will be offered appointments. The Travel Network Group has provided members with posters


to use in-store and a template risk assessment to conduct before they reopen. Many members are keeping staff on flexi-furlough. Althams plans to reopen all its 32


shops on April 12 on reduced hours, with staff rotated to work in-store. Managing director Sandra McAllister is optimistic agents will benefit from increased demand for their professional advice. “I expect we could be extremely


busy,” she said. “If not, we remain flexible and can adapt to the situation.” The Midcounties Co-operative


has used the reopening as an opportunity to announce a rebrand of its shop network from Co-operative Travel to Your Co-op Travel. All 78 branches, including its


seven Carrick Travel stores (which will not be rebranded), will reopen on April 12, but its virtual contact centres will also remain. “We’re busily preparing our agents


for a return to face-to-face, in-branch appointments and they cannot wait to welcome their customers back in,” said head of retail Natalie Turner.


travelweekly.co.uk


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