Kuoni to unveil brand refresh in 2025 Juliet Dennis


The Kuoni brand will look and feel “really different” from January 2025 following a full-scale business review in time for the peak season. The operator confirmed this


involved a brand repositioning, including cheaper prices, to encourage more consumers to consider Kuoni as well as making its products “more accessible” to a broader range of holidaymakers. The review has been conducted


across the business, from the range of product and types of holidays offered to brand image and perceptions and Kuoni’s commercial terms. Its peak sales period marketing


campaign will demonstrate a “bold” and ambitious new approach under


the Kuoni brand, the company said. Managing director Mark Duguid


has overseen the brand review since taking up the role in December 2022. Speaking at a Travel Weekly


Business Breakfast at Abta’s Travel Convention last week, he said: “We have just completed a brand review. We reviewed our commercial strategy [and] will be cheaper but not lose our ‘specialness’.” He said the operator would “go


back to being a global operator”, selling holidays around the world, and drop Kuoni sub-brands launched in recent years. “We’re looking to appeal to more


people – to families. The growth we’re seeing is outside the peak school holidays, in families with pre-school children,” he said, stressing: “The


Hays Travel and Tui pledge to build retail networks


Juliet Dennis


Two of the largest travel agency retailers on the high street have pledged to build their shop networks as they predicted continued sales growth. Both Hays Travel and Tui said


there was “no sign of decline” in high street business, stressing their commitment to shops alongside other sales channels. Hays Travel group finance


director Ken Campling said there were still “plenty of opportunities” for growth on the “much-maligned high street”, while new Tui


6 17 OCTOBER 2024


managing director Neil Swanson said the company planned to “fill gaps” in its shop portfolio. Speaking at Abta’s Travel


Convention on the fifth anniversary of Hays’ acquisition of the former Thomas Cook retail estate, Campling predicted sales would continue to increase through shops as well as through its homeworkers and Hays Travel Independence Group members. He said: “Growth is not a given


but I don’t think there is any reason for it to stop in the short to medium term. We have spent £40 million on acquisitions in the last three to four years – we are very committed


to the high street. But we have also just marketed our Hays Travel app to reach younger customers.” Hays Travel had 498 shops in September. Swanson, who took up the role


of Tui managing director last month, said the company was looking to “fill gaps” in its network of 332 shops. “We are seeing where we have


gaps we can in-fill and add value,” he said, while insisting there was no strategy to significantly increase the shop portfolio. “The estate is the right size so


we’re just filling small gaps,” he said, adding that 10-15 shops were


relocated each year to more profitable locations as part of a constant review. After a dip in footfall early this


year, he said the number of consumers visiting Tui agencies was now up. “Retail is doing well. I’m really


pleased with the growth of footfall and sales,” he said, adding that holidaymakers continued to value speaking to agents face-to-face. Swanson also maintained Tui’s


shop network gave it an advantage over rivals Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays. “It’s a real differentiator to have shops; it puts us in a strong position,” he said.


travelweekly.co.uk We reviewed our


commercial strategy [and] will be cheaper but not lose our ‘specialness’


powerhouse is the Kuoni brand. The [other] brands have been retired.” Asked when agents and customers


would see the new branding, Duguid said: “We’ll look really different from peaks [onwards].” The review comes as the


operator expands its range in the Caribbean and announces more adventurous trips for families in response to increased demand. A company spokeswoman


said: “Maybe we are not in the consideration set for [some] people because they think of us as out of reach. The whole point is to broaden our appeal; it’s about growing the business. “We’ve looked at every division in the business; this is more than a logo refresh. We have done a lot of research, including focus groups, to see how far the Kuoni brand stretches.” She said that while weddings


and honeymoons remained “super- important” and accounted for a large share of Kuoni business, the operator offered much more and was looking at “what else we need to do to broaden our appeal”. Kuoni would remain a premium


operation, she added, but held “a unique space” in the market.


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