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Thomas Cook to close 24 shops across UK

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Thomas Cook to close 24 shops across UK

Sep 22, 2011 08:00AM GMT

Thomas Cook to close 24 shops across UK

Thomas Cook has begun a 90-day consultation with more than 100 staff after announcing plans to close 24 high street shops around the country.

The company said 22 of the closures were because of leases expiring and two because shops were making a loss. Outlets are to close in towns as far apart as Northampton, Bangor, Cleethorpes and Stirling.

Ian Ailles, Thomas Cook UK mainstream chief executive, said the firm’s shop network was constantly under review.

“Our high street stores are the most popular way for customers to book with us and an essential part of our multi-channel approach, alongside websites and sales centres,” he said.

“However, there are times, like today, when we will propose closing a small number of individual stores to remain effective in this competitive environment.

“We will do all that we can to minimise the impact on affected customers and colleagues.”

The staff consultation is one of three under way at the company. The group is in a formal consultation with Thomas Cook Airlines staff in Manchester where it plans 250 job cuts as it axes six aircraft from the UK fleet for this winter.

Thomas Cook is also consulting 400 call centre staff who handle holiday bookings in Peterborough and Falkirk on shift changes. The company wants call centre employees to work later, taking calls up to 10pm, and on Sundays.

The shop closures come ahead of a loss of about 75 outlets expected to result from the joint-venture merger with The Co-op and Midlands Co-op Travel.

Norwegian Cruise Line ships to be named Breakaway and Getaway

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Norwegian Cruise Line ships to be named Breakaway and Getaway

By Donna Tunney
NCL Breakaway renderingNorwegian Cruise Line has selected the names for its two new ships: Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.

The Breakaway is scheduled to launch in April 2013, and the Getaway in April 2014.

The names were selected following a naming contest held in conjunction with USA Today.

Norwegian said it felt the selected names “best reflected the innovation of the brand along with the freedom and flexibility of the line’s signature Freestyle Cruising, and invoked the feeling that these ships will provide a ‘break’ at sea from the stress of everyday life.”

The contest winners are Kimberly Powell of Lafayette, La., who first submitted Norwegian Breakaway, and Dennis Hultman of Vienna, Va., who first submitted Norwegian Getaway.

Powell and Hultman each will receive a trip for two to Norwegian Breakaway’s inaugural festivities, including the christening ceremony (date and location to be determined).

Tui retail shake-up brings new shops and closures

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Tui retail shake-up brings new shops and closures

Tui retail shake-up brings new shops and closures

Tui Travel will open more Thomson and First Choice shops in the north and the Midlands as it targets 80% controlled distribution, but other regions will see shop closures.

Speaking to Travel Weekly in an exclusive interview, Tui Travel UK distribution director Nick Longman said two more branches would open in Scotland in the next few weeks and many other gaps in the portfolio had been identified.

“We said that we would control 80% of our sales, but within that average there are parts of the country at 90% and others at only 65%,” he said.

“So we want to get a minimum level of control everywhere.”

Longman said the company assessed levels of broadband availability and internet usage across the country, and would open shops to compensate where both were poor.

In some cases, he said shops were more cost-effective than the web.

Longman added that Tui would open shops in towns where it had previously closed them down, and said coveted units within shopping centres had started to become available as other retailers, such as MFI, Woolworths and Birthdays, closed.

However, more shops will close during the coming years than will open.

“We might open 50 but close 70,” he said. “There will be some areas where we’ve got too many shops or where the internet has really caught on fast.”

Longman said Tui would also be taking on shorter leases. “Half of our leases come up in the next five years.

“Generally, instead of 15 or 10-year leases with a 10 or seven-year break, we’ll be going for five or three-year leases with a three or one-year break.”

Tui also plans to step up training and aims to have an agent in every shop who has visited the main destinations.

It is also set to trial an incentive scheme for customers on holiday to book their next trip, with the sale being attributed back to the original agent.