Agent initiatives help Stena Line to boost share of market

Trade training

Agent initiatives help Stena Line to boost share of market

Report by JANE ARCHER

STENA LINE says a series of agent initiatives this year has helped the ferry operator increase its share of bookings through the trade.

According to the latest figures from market research specialist AC Neilson, Stena Line held a 23.6% share of the total car ferry and Channel Tunnel market booked through the trade in the year to July inclusive.

That compares with 19.6% in the same period last year.

Its nearest rival this year was Eurotunnel on 19.7%, while Sea Containers and P&O Stena Line were on 10.6% and 10.4% respectively.

Stena Line head of sales GB, Heli Salmons said she was delighted with the results, which come against a background of falling ferry business for agents.

“Ferry bookings through the trade are down 14% year on year as more people book direct or on-line,” she said.

Salmons said agents tend to neglect ferry bookings because they do not think they are worth the effort, but pointed out that a Stena Line Irish Sea crossing for a family with a car can cost around £800 at peak times. She attributed Stena Line’s increased share of trade bookings to the Agent 2000 initiative launched in May.

This increases training and educational support for Stena’s top-performing 2,000 agents in return for higher selling targets.

“We have focused our resources on agents who want to work with us and we support them with our team of sales professionals, our agents’ reservations hotline and our trade relations team,” said Salmons.

Success story: Stena Line regional sales manager Anglia, Kate Wooldridge, left, discusses the ferry operator’s training pack with Gemma Mortimer, assistant manager, Fred Olsen Travel, Ipswich