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Hays Travel closes 10 former Thomas Cook stores

Hays Travel has closed 10 former Thomas Cook branches weeks after opening them following the retailer’s collapse.

Chair Irene Hays said the agency was “having trouble recruiting in some places”. Hays had reopened 461 of the 553 ex-Thomas Cook branches after the giant failed but, as of 5pm last Friday, that had fallen to 451.

“We hoped we would be able to keep these open,” said Hays. “We had transferred Hays Travel staff to them from existing branches, but about three weeks ago, we started to hear concerns from the managers of those branches that they needed their team members back in time for the January peaks.

“We thought we would get enough staff, but we just haven’t got enough. It was like taking one step forward but two steps back. Those staff that we seconded to the affected Thomas Cook shops are back in their original Hays Travel stores.”

Hays said there had been no job losses, and that recruitment was still under way across the country.

Asked if the affected shops would be closed permanently, or temporarily, Hays said: “In some instances, it will be permanent.”

She said units will “go through a process” to determine whether they will be handed back to the Official Receiver, which would open the door to other parties taking them on.

Alistair Rowland, chief retail officer for specialist business at Midcounties Co-operative, had declared interest in taking on some units after Cook’s collapse. He said: “We’re watching with interest what happens. We remain firmly in contact with those landlords as we were early on, and those stores we picked out originally remain targets.”

Asked if she envisaged more closures, Hays replied: “We will look at how they trade in January.” She added that “a handful” of other stores could yet open by Christmas.

There are now “hundreds” of ex-Cook stores with Hays signage. Permanent fascias were put up on stores that had entered into new leases. Temporary signs were used where existing leases were taken on.

Hays is planning a multimedia campaign next month on TV, radio, social media and in print, focusing on the brand and price.

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