First Choice denied rumours this week its agencies had de-racked and all but stopped selling Thomas Cook.
According to industry sources, sales of Thomas Cook holidays have almost completely dried up through First Choice Travel Shops since the announcement last week that Thomas Cook and MyTravel are to merge.
Thomas Cook and First Choice, which had been hotly tipped to join forces, have a nationwide preferred deal in place to sell each other’s tour operator products through their respective high-street chains. MyTravel works with First Choice on a regional basis.
First Choice retail managing director Cheryl Powell flatly denied the de-racking claims and insisted Thomas Cook sales were in fact “well up year on year”.
Although shop staff will look to sell First Choice holidays first, she added: “We sell Thomas Cook and MyTravel and we rack their brochures. We have definitely not de-racked them and you can still walk into our shops and buy them.”
Thomas Cook UK chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa – a close friend of First Choice chief executive Peter Long – refused to comment on the rumours but admitted: “There is a lot of emotion flying around. Things will settle down and find a natural level.”
He added: “It’s very early days. The merger has not been approved by shareholders or the European Commission.”
Some observers played down the impact of any boycott, claiming sales of Thomas Cook through First Choice shops were in any case “fairly neglible” prior to the MyTravel deal.
Meanwhile, Powell said the merger news may speed up First Choice’s five-year shop expansion strategy.
“If anything, this has accelerated our plans. One of our biggest priorities is to make sure we control our distribution and we will be opening more shops in the near future,” she said.