| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 05/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 70 |
| Copyright: Other |
Make yourself heard, Thomas Cook
There seems to be an unnecessary air of doom and gloom around Peterborough as the fate of Thomas Cook remains undecided.The retailer has been unceremoniously dumped by Preussag, which has jumped into bed with Thomson. In some quarters, there is talk of Thomas Cook becoming isolated as the European giants jostle for position.
On top of that, we’re starting to get letters from Thomas Cook staff disillusioned about the future of the company and unhappy about shop closures.
But whoever it ends up with, surely Thomas Cook has got a massive role to play in the future of the industry and could do with being a bit more bullish.
It’s still the best brand around and the majority of the general public still seem to think it is part of Thomson. As Thomson is also a very strong brand and is about to become part of the biggest player in Europe, that’s not such a bad thing.
I think Thomas Cook and its tour operation JMC should be more aggressive in its approach to the media and industry issues. There was a big song and dance about the JMC launch but it now seems Thomson, Airtours and even First Choice are emerging as the opinion formers of the industry.
The traditional Thomas Cook culture seems to be to keep your head down, a sort of ’empty vessels make the most noise’ attitude.
But those making the most noise know the positive effect it has on staff. Employees like to feel they are working for the biggest, the best, the most outspoken. It’s time for the Thomas Cook group to make its presence felt.