Newmarket Holidays’ staff have been put under consultation as part of a review of its UK coach holiday business.
The news follows Monday’s announcement that it had sold its educational division to Next Generation Travel as it sought to focus more on its core escorted touring holidays by air and river and ocean cruising business.
The company, which is based in Surrey and has 200 staff in total, has not revealed how many staff are under consultation.
It confirmed the consultation is part of a strategic business review of its UK coach holiday operations, which accounts for less than 15% of its annual turnover. This will look at the company’s future strategy and ways to strengthen its core activities.
A Newmarket spokesman said: “Over the past 35 years we have built an enviable reputation in the escorted tours and holiday market; we have a loyal customer base; a strong financial base; and excellent relationships with our suppliers and partners.
“We also, and most importantly, have an experienced and devoted team. The market is very competitive and demands that today’s modern travel business needs to be agile so that it can continue to adapt and flourish when opportunities present themselves in order to remain strong and successful.”
Newmarket offers escorted tours and holidays by coach in the UK, by air across the UK and Europe and also has a worldwide programme to destinations including the US, Canada, India, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Meanwhile, more details emerged over the acquisition by Blackpool-based specialist educational travel company Next Generation Travel of Newmarket’s educational travel brands Study Experiences, Sport Experiences and Remembrance Travel.
The a deal sees Next Generation Travel now hold six specialist educational travel brands.
The acquisition enables the group, which organises school trips throughout the UK, continental Europe and worldwide, to increase its turnover to £25 million with staff numbers up to 80 and annual passenger carryings increasing to more than 70,000.
Established in 2010, NGT is one of the sector’s largest privately owned companies, and includes the WST Travel, FHT Travel and Anglia Tours brands.
The latest acquisition follows the group’s expansion in 2013, which saw the firm purchase FHT Travel, a Cambridgeshire-based specialist operator providing trips for students in further and higher education. Anglia Tours, a leading battlefields tours specialist, was acquired by NGT last year.
Next Generation Travel managing director Deborah Beckett said: “These new brands enable us to enter new markets and deliver a broader selection of specialist tours for our clients.
“A key part of our strategic expansion plans, we’re delighted to bring NGT’s high levels of customer service and experience to these well-established brands.”