NEWS ROUND-UP


COMMENT: “It was exciting to witness first-hand the attention being given to product and marketing initiatives” Debbie Marshall, page 28


IN THE PICTURE: Shop makes 30


Hays Travel North West has opened a branch in St Helens, Merseyside, taking its network to 30 stores. Six jobs have been created at the Church Street travel


agency following a £100,000 investment. Manager Gemma Bate said: “We have already been really busy booking holidays for people, which has given us the best possible starting boost.” Hays Travel, which owns 40% of Hays North West,


now has more than 160 shops nationwide and recently hit £1 billion in turnover. Hays North West has an annual turnover of £70 million. Bate (left) is pictured with Hays Travel North


West sales director Lindsey Barber (right), and the mayor and mayoress of St Helens, councillors Patricia Ireland and Lynn Glover.


BSpoke to sell escorted tours after operator tie-up


Ben Ireland ben.ireland@travelweekly.co.uk


Cycling specialist BSpoke Tours has started a travel agency division, selling a selection of “complementary” escorted tours.


The operator, which includes


the Cycling for Softies brand, has 80 self-guided cycling and hiking tours in 12 European countries, and will now sell about 80 escorted tours from six partner operators: Explore, Exodus, Spice Roads, Club Med, Mark Warner and Camino Ways. “We are competitors for self- guided tours, but hopefully we can become the ultimate travel agent to sell our partners’ guided group tours,” said Ben Roseveare, activities director at parent company Ski Solutions. “Sometimes we get people coming to us who would be better suited to guided tours, and we’ve turned their business away. “This gives us a guided tours


offering and complements our existing products. It also gives


at its head office in Battersea, London.


Since BSpoke launched the


travel agency on May 1, 20% of sales have been of third-party suppliers. Roseveare said he hoped that growth would continue, as the brand aims to double its business in a year. So far this financial year,


BSPOKE: Will sell ‘complementary’ tours from six partner operators


us the ability to say we are in 50, rather than 12, countries.” As an agent, BSpoke will sell a selection of its partners’ tours and avoid selling those similar to its own products or to regions where it already has a large programme, such as the south of France. It will package up partners’ tours with flights when necessary. It won’t have walk-in shops but customers can make appointments


10 travelweekly.co.uk 19 July 2018


BSpoke and Cycling for Softies have between them been trading 30%-40% ahead year on year. BSpoke is looking to emulate the model of Ski Solutions, which is roughly 50% travel agent and 50% operator. BSpoke’s tour operation has


grown from 35 to 80 self-guided tours in the past year, 16 of which are Cycling for Softies branded. Roseveare said the operator was being “honest” about the fact that 90% of its sales were direct, but stressed BSpoke’s tour operation would remain “agent friendly”. The “much more defined” sales


team working on the activities side of the business has grown from four to eight since Roseveare joined nine months ago.


NEWS IN BRIEF


Together Forever concert honours Westoe agent


A concert will be held in honour of Westoe Travel apprentice Chloe Rutherford and her boyfriend Liam Curry, who died in the Manchester terrorist attack. The Together Forever Live event will be held in South Shields on August 12.


Evanson joins sales team at The Travel Corporation


The Travel Corporation has appointed Lee Evanson as UK sales manager central region for Trafalgar, Costsaver, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold. He previously worked in Australia as a sales manager for Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold.


Redfern quits Jet2holidays to join PR company Lotus


Chris Redfern has left his sales role at Jet2holidays to join travel PR firm Lotus, where he will raise awareness of Palladium Hotels in the UK.


Norwegian has options on two Project Leonardo ships


Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has confirmed options to build fifth and sixth Project Leonardo- class ships for NCL with Italy’s Fincantieri. The ships are due for delivery in 2026 and 2027.


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