MIDLANDS Co-op Travel claims it booked 300 passengers on holidays and flights through its on-line travel agency and auction site, Holidayauctions, last week.
General manager of Holidayauctions Gill Peachey said that the average selling price fluctuated between £250 and £400, and she is targeting £3m in sales in the year to August 2000.
The sales split between fixed price holiday sales and auction sales was 70/30, she added.
Midlands Co-op has plans to expand its on-line presence with the addition of seat-only, ski and tailor-made holiday sites in the future.
Peachy said the company may set up the new sites with the help of its partner, technology company TARSC, or it may acquire them through acquisition.
She also has a long-term goal to start selling holidays via interactive TV, which she hopes to develop over the next 12-18 months.
Midlands Co-op has been one of the first traditional travel agencies to exploit the Internet, and became the first company to launch a dedicated holiday auction site last September.
“Lastminute.com and QXL are our main competitors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the multiples got into Web sites in a big way soon,” said Peachy.