LETS Go Travel is preparing to sever ties with
Worldchoice with a £50,000 pay-off.
Lets Go Travel managing director Simon Maunder said he would
forfeit the cash – owed for 2005’s Worldchoice
subscriptions – to waive the three months’ notice
period normally demanded.
This followed a threat by Worldchoice chairman Colin Heal to
hold on to the subscriptions.
Maunder added: “We’re about to give official notice to
Worldchoice, because we’re not giving three months’
notice we are honouring next year’s subscriptions.
“We still wish to maintain a friendly relationship with
Worldchoice and don’t want to leave it in the lurch. This is
a commercial decision being made for commercial reasons.”
Maunder is preparing to join Global’s Independent Options
group and will take his 36 high-street outlets, a business travel
centre, two call centres and a non high-street travel club with
him.
Each of these owes £1,332 in annual subscription fees to
Worldchoice –a total of £53,280.
However, Maunder refused to confirm this is the start of an
exodus of as many as 15 South West Independent Federation of Travel
Agents (Swifta) joining the Global Travel Group. “They are still in
meetings, deciding exactly what to do.”
But a final decision was likely at a Swifta meeting later this
month, he added.
If they do leave Worldchoice, it is understood Global will gain
from a boost of around £100 million in turnover. Lets Go
Travel alone is forecast to turnover more than £50 million
next year.
Heal remained unconcerned by the threatened mass departure.
Worldchoice has gained 19 Independent Options members with a
combined £40 million turnover since August, although Global
bosses claim the figure is 13. “It’s not a disaster for us
even if all of Swifta do go,” he added.