ADVANTAGE Travel Centres is attempting to halt an exodus of SWIFTA agents from the independent consortium after more than 50 branches voted to leave and join ARTAC Worldchoice.
SWIFTA chairman Simon Maunder said the switch was for commercial reasons and predicted around 57 branches would uproot from Advantage on January 1. They will become alliance partners which will give them full marketing support but will exclude them from voting.
Around 12 branches, some of which are franchise members, will remain.
“We are not at loggerheads with Advantage. We’ve made this decision for commercial reasons,” said Maunder.
“We think we can get better deals with ARTAC.”
Advantage is now contacting all SWIFTA members urging them to rethink the decision. Managing director Ron Muir said: “There is a great deal of camaraderie among SWIFTA members but we have been asking them to look at what is best for their individual business and not follow what others are doing.”
He denied ARTAC agents receive better commercial deals than non-franchised Advantage members.