TUI UK‘s customer numbers fell by 7.3% in its third quarter results – but the drop would have been worse if the business had not undergone a recent restructure and cut commission payments to travel agents.
A spokesman for TUI UK, which owns Thomson Holidays, admitted the fall in numbers for the three months ending September 30 2006 left the company with 1.82 million UK customers.
He added: “During the summer months, the good weather and the football meant there was a sluggish demand and the UK market was weakened. The effects of the restructuring, including the commission cuts, that we undertook was offset by the weak market.”
The fall in UK figures was mirrored by the Northern Europe sector which includes the UK, Ireland, Nordic countries and airlines Thomsonfly and TUIfly Nordic.
The sector reported a 5.4% decline in total customer numbers to 2.36 million as opposed to 2.49 million in the same period in the previous year. Turnover dropped accordingly by 4.3% from 1.82 billion euros to 1.74 billion euros.
However, the sector’s year-on-year earnings grew from 229 million euros to 235 million euros.
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