| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 12/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 1 |
| Copyright: Other |
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Airtours to increase directional selling after relocation
Report by STEVEJONES
Airtours to increase directional selling after relocation
AIRTOURS is to embark on a fresh wave of aggressive directional selling after unveiling plans to relocate its tour operation and retail networks into the same offices.It means Going Places and Travelworld managing director Terry Fisher and Airtours Holidays MD Richard Carrick – previously more than 200 miles apart – will have daily, face-to-face contact.
Fisher will also now report directly to Carrick who takes overall control for retail distribution.
The relocation to Rochdale, which will enable Airtours and Going Places to use the same Information Technologysystems, is expected to lead to several hundred job losses, mainly from Going Places’ head office in Woking.
Airtours UKLG chief executive Peter Rothwell confirmed the move will give the group greater ability to sell more products in house.
“We are all here to sell the maximum amount of UKLGproducts and while we have done a pretty good job, we can do much better now,” he said. “We will get more directional selling from Going Places.
“It was hard communicating between Woking and Manchester, which wasted a fair amount of executive time. We (Airtours Holidays and Going Places) have a really good relationship but clearly we are looking to develop the maximum amount of directional selling.
“Being under one roof will create a very powerful tour operator and distribution network,” Rothwell added.
Currently, 40% of Airtours Holidays are sold through Going Places. Rothwell declined to reveal what the new targets would be.
The 330 employees still in Surrey will be offered jobs in Cheshire but the vast majority are expected to take a redundancy package.
However, Rothwell said he expected most staff at Helmshore and at Travelworld’s headquarters in Huddersfield to move.
“It will be difficult for people in Woking but we are hopeful most from Helmshore and Huddersfield will stay with the company. We will lay on special arrangements from Helmshore for those who don’t drive.”
Airtours will retain 200 staff in one of its Helmshore offices.
He declined to say how much cash will be saved from the upheaval although it will be several million pounds.
He added that back-office functions would merge.
The move to the new offices, which Airtours acquired from the Co-op movement for an undisclosed sum, will take place over the next few months.
Meanwhile, Matthew Cheatham has been appointed managing director of Airtours’ new specialist holidays division, overseeing Cresta and Bridge.
nSee JMC relocation, page 5
andComment, page 11
In-house promotion: Going Places will push Airtours products harder than ever following head-office moves to Rochdale