Midcounties Co-operative pledges to continue investing in its travel arm
THE Midcounties Co-operative Travel has pledged to continue to grow and invest in the business following The Co-operative Group’s sale of its travel arm to Thomas Cook.
Midcounties Co-operative Travel operates 56 high street branches, has over 150 home-based travel consultants and has 39 independent agents operating under a consortium model where they use the organisation’s back office, services and sell their full range of travel products.
It is owned by The Midcounties Co-operative, the UK’s largest independent co-op and reported record growth in 2016, with a 17% rise in sales and revenue expected to top £335m – up from £75m just five years ago.
Alistair Rowland, Group General Manager at The Midcounties Co-operative Travel, said: “Co-operative Travel is a fantastic brand with a great future under our ownership and our 56 high street branches are operated completely separately from the 208 sites sold by the Co-operative Group to Thomas Cook.
“Our customers value the independent travel advice we provide, whether it’s from our agents in store or home-based advisors. This has driven our growth. Customers know that we’re not tied to a specific operator so they get the best possible options and deals from across the market.”
The Midcounties Co-operative Travel employs more than 500 staff and is one of the largest independent travel retailers in the UK. Its branches operate throughout the Midcounties trading areas and the East Midlands. Twice a recipient of the Best High Street Travel Agency Award, it has also been awarded the Customer Satisfaction Award by the Institute of Customer Service.
