Thomas Cook UK & Ireland has announced that it will retain the CruiseThomasCook brand as it moves forward following the merger with MyTravel.
From Thursday (November 1) the two retail cruise arms – CruiseThomasCook and MyTravel’s The Cruise Store, will begin operating as one brand and “take the strengths of both to move them forward as one business.”
The Cruise Store’s homeworking and call centre network in Accrington will now be rebranded as CruiseThomasCook.
Only the stand-alone Cruise Store, which was opened in January this year will retain its brand until at least December when Thomas Cook will decide the future and whether to bring in any more specialist cruise stores.
The 70 Going Places stores which will remain in key areas and these will not take on the CruiseThomasCook branding.
In December a new-look website, cruisethomascook.com will launch replacing the current sites.
CruiseThomasCook director of cruising James Cole said: “As we all know the cruise market is growing. We want to take the strength of the two businesses and move them forward as one business.”
The company believes that following the merger it now has a 15% share of the cruise market in the UK with one in seven cruise holidays made through them.
Cole also said with the new combined brand, CruiseThomasCook will be able to negotiate deals with the lines and that one of the key aims of the group is to get all agents trained up on the Thomas Cook cruise academy.