The Monarch Travel Group may scrap some of its brand names as part of a ‘belt and braces review’ of its businesses, including Cosmos Holidays and Monarch Airlines.
The group, the fifth-largest UK travel group based on ATOL-bonded passenger figures, has brands that have been trading for up to 45 years. Between them, Avro and
Cosmos carry 600,000 to 700,000 passengers a year.
It is conducting consumer and trade focus groups of its six brands – Monarch Airlines, Cosmos Holidays, Cosmos Tourama, Somewhere2stay.com, Avro and Archers Direct – as part of a five-year strategic review. A decision is due in six to eight weeks.
Monarch Airlines chief executive Peter Brown, who revealed details at the second annual Barclays Travel Forum, said: “We want to find out what the brands mean to
people in the trade and the end consumer. Are we better off with fewer brands?”
He admitted Cosmos Holidays’ business had shrunk in size as a result of a decline in package holiday sales to the western Mediterranean but stressed it was unlikely the Cosmos name, established in 1962, would disappear.
Somewhere2stay.com managing director Stuart Jackson said brand recognition of Cosmos was lower than that of Monarch, launched in 1967, because less money has been ploughed into marketing the name in recent years.
But the group had no plans to stop selling core packages as part of its offering, he said. “Whether we call Cosmos something different or not, we feel there is a proposition for fully protected holidays.”
He added: “We will probably find ‘one size fits all’ will not be a solution, although it may work for certain parts of the business.
“Do we need Somewhere2stay or could we call it Cosmos Rooms? Do we need Avro? Should we have Monarch Holidays?”