LASTMINUTE.COM is set to make its bricks and mortar
debut with the rebranding of retail outlets following the £12.1 million
acquisition of UK hotel booking agency First Option Hotel Reservations.
The acquisition will see Brent Hoberman’s brainchild
Lastminute rebrand First Option’s 21 shops at airports and railway stations
across the UK over the next three months, giving the on-line agency its first
retail presence.
The outlets, at sites in Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Manchester airports and York and King’s Cross railway stations, will sell
domestic product including hotels, airport transfers, car hire and
entertainment tickets. Overseas product will be added at a later date.
Plans to open a further 30 outlets at railway stations
have been earmarked, with Waterloo and London Bridge stations likely to be the
first. The deal also sees Lastminute take on First Option’s corporate call
centre in Stockport, which services large private and public sector clients
including Boots.
Lastminute head of sales and marketing Andrew Windsor
said: “The shops give Lastminute high off-line visibility. Nine out of 10 of
its bookings are for same-day arrival. You don’t get more last minute than
that.”
Lastminute’s move follows that of fellow on-line
retailer Air Miles, which relaunched itself as a full-service retailer in
November with plans to open up to 20 shops.
Lastminute’s strategy will be seen by many as proof of
the limitations of the web and the need for bricks and mortar agencies,
although the increased competition is a concern for the traditional travel
agent community.
Worldchoice commercial director Keith Wilson said:
“It’s clear [from this acquisition] Lastminute does not believe the web has all
the answers.”
Clive Green, owner of Clive Green Travel, said the
move would “chip away” at his business “because they are in the right place
with people
passing every day”.
Midconsort chief executive Charles Eftichiou added:
“The Lastminute name has a lot of strength in the market and the signs are it
wants to become vertically integrated.”
Meanwhile, ex-Thomson chief
Richard Bowden-Doyle is tipped to be the new head of Lastminute following the
departure of Martha Lane Fox last year.
Bowden-Doyle said an
announcement would be made shortly. Lastminute was unavailable for comment.
Bowden-Doyle previously
headed Thomas Cook’s specialist business division.