SLG COLLAPSE: Shearings becomes first major travel brand to fail as a result of


SLG chief Calvert: We fought tooth and nail to save group


T


he trade has expressed sadness at the loss of coach holiday operator Shearings Holidays, the UK’s largest escorted tour operator, whose parent


company collapsed last week. Specialist Leisure Group went into administration


on Friday, taking with it 117-year-old Shearings, fellow coach operator National Holidays, agency Wallace Arnold Travel, UKBreakaways, Caledonian Travel, Bay Hotels, Coast & Country Hotels, Country Living Hotels and Sportingbreaks.com. The CAA confirmed there were “about 1,050”


bookings for future travel overseas with SLG. SLG chief executive Richard Calvert said:


“This is a terribly sad day for employees, customers and commercial partners of the Specialist Leisure Group (SLG) and its subsidiaries which have entered into administration. The effects of Covid-19 on our 117-year old company and the wider travel industry have been devastating. “In the most trying of circumstances, over these


past few months, we have fought tooth and nail to save the group and the jobs of our loyal employees.” SLG had been in discussions with stakeholders,


advisors and the government “to weather the storm of Covid-19”. Calvert added: “It is heartbreaking that the required funding could not be secured.” Shearings offered holidays to 170 destinations


in the UK, Europe and worldwide, including coach tours, rail holidays and river cruises, and handled 1.1 million customers a year. John de Vial, director of membership and


SHEARINGS: A BRIEF HISTORY


The collapse of two such well-


known brands is a stark indication of the pressure the sector is under


financial services at Abta, said the group’s demise was “a very sad day” for customers and the 2,460 staff who lost their jobs. He added: “The fact two such well-known


brands with a loyal customer base have had to call in administrators is a stark indication of the pressure the holiday industry is under.” Agents paid tribute to trade-friendly brands


Shearings and National Holidays. Joanne Stewart, of Hays Travel in Dundee, said:


“So sad to hear this devastating news, I’ve booked many a customer on a Shearings break over the years.


Richard Calvert


“I really feel for the staff at Shearings and its


sister companies. I went through this last year at Thomas Cook and know how devastated they’ll be.” Gay Borland, of Waltham Abbey Travel in Essex,


said Shearings was popular with groups such as the British Legion and U3A and was a “lifeline” for some older customers. “It’s a huge loss for the groups market,” she said. “We’ve done so many bookings with them over the years, and they had a local pick-up, which customers loved.” Graeme Brett, owner of Westoe Travel in South


Shields, had more than 100 customers with future bookings, most with National Holidays, which was the biggest of the group’s brands in the northeast. “It a great shame, [especially] as they’d


modernised in recent years,” he said. i Get Social, page 18


1919: Shearings is founded in Oldham in 1919 by Herbert Shearing, although the roots of the business can be traced back to a haulage company called Webster Bros, founded in 1903, and a coach tours operation set up by James Smith in 1914 that offered


trips from Wigan and Southport


1949: Herbert Shearing retires and two companies are formed: Shearings Tours (Manchester) Ltd and Shearings Tours (Oldham) Ltd. These are sold to James Robinson, owner of Happiway Tours, in 1953


1963: Shearings Tours are consolidated as Shearings Holidays


1964: The business is sold again and the coaches branded as Shearings-Pleasureways- Ribblesdale, shortened to Shearings Ribblesdale in 1979 and then to


Shearings Holidays in 1982


1989:Mecca Leisure Group purchases Pleasurama and merges National Holidays with Shearings


1990: Mecca is taken over by The Rank Organisation, which


6


28 MAY 2020


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