NEWS
THE GRADUATES: Dawson & Sanderson held a mini graduation ceremony for five retail travel consultants who passed their apprenticeships. They began the course in September 2023 and completed it in November 2024. The 14-month programme combined online sessions with interactive face-to-face training. The triumphant quintet also received on-the-job training, supported by mentors and colleagues. Katie Armstrong (pictured at the front) with Lucy Turnbull, Liam Harper and Alix Gray all passed with a merit, while Lucy Irwin (far right) achieved a distinction. Dawson & Sanderson general manager Julie Cloe said: “We are incredibly proud of our apprentices. We felt it was only right to celebrate their fantastic achievements with the entire company during our annual conference.”
Severe storm forces shop closures but fails to dent peaks momentum
Andrew McQuarrie
Travel agency bosses forced to close shops due to winds of up to 100mph say the severe weather has failed to dampen growing peaks momentum. The bullish trading statements
echoed those from agents and operators around the country and came as the Met Office predicted “storm clustering” could lead to further disruption during February. Agencies in Northern
One property suffered slight
damage, she said, but the rest of the retail estate was unscathed and staff successfully worked from home. “We actually finished slightly up
on the previous year,” said Tempest- Mitchell. “We didn’t believe that was possible because closing our Scottish branches was huge, with the business they would normally do.” Oasis Travel, which has
STORY TOP
Ireland and the central belt of Scotland were among those that closed their shops on Friday (January 24) as Storm Éowyn left thousands without power, damaged homes and led to more than 1,000 flight cancellations. Barrhead Travel closed all of its
branches in Scotland on Friday, just weeks after new managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell took up her role.
travelweekly.co.uk
eight shops in Northern Ireland, was also unable to open stores on Friday, but managing director Sandra
Corkin said she was “confident”
the staff would be able to make up for any lost business. Jason Calvin, director of
Portadown-based Thompson Travel, said consumers’ priorities “shifted massively” because of the storm. “Instead of booking a holiday,
people had to think about repairing their homes,” he added. Despite the lack of bookings on Friday, when the agency’s shop was
closed, this month’s sales remain better than January last year, with the company’s annual ‘Holiday Showcase’ credited as driving the majority of business. The Advantage Travel Partnership
said storm disruption was “minimal” across its membership. Summing up last week’s performance, chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes said: “We saw volumes dip slightly week on week but continue to trade ahead of last year in terms of both bookings and revenue. The average sale value also continues to be strong.” Stephanie Slark, director of
membership services at The Travel Network Group, said last week’s sales were the best of the month up to that point. “We remain optimistic that the upcoming payday will further enhance sales and sustain this upward trend into the following week,” she added. Some members were affected
by the storm, she said, but trading on Wednesday and Thursday was “particularly robust” and last week
the group welcomed 12% year-on-year growth in all-inclusive short-haul and mid-haul package bookings. Protected Trust Services revealed
its agents, which number about 160, had generated year-on-year revenue growth of 8.9% so far this month, equating to more than £1.8 million. Fred Olsen Travel retail director
Paul Hardwick also reported positive figures, noting a 47% year-on-year increase in sales last week, with three large-scale holiday shows helping to boost bookings. Journey Latin America reported
last week was the best in its history, with sales through agents performing particularly well. But other specialists revealed high
numbers of late bookings, adding that availability was proving to be a challenge, which was particularly the case in the long-haul market. The trading updates came as Tui
reintroduced single-stage low-deposit offers, which it said would help partner agents to close sales.
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