The Co-operative Travel Group has restructured its in-house brands, bringing them all together under one umbrella, as part of a drive to increase sales.
Tour operation Escape, Co-operative Travel Sports and Events, Medinland, and South Africa specialist Melhart Travel, are now under the new Holidays Division. The new tailor-made cruise brand Spectrum, which has moved from Cumbria to the Manchester office, is also part of the division.
All the brands still have the same offering, but product is sourced by one central team. The department now has a team of 18 staff and three new managers have been appointed to run the division.
Head of wholesale operations Tracie Burton said: “It is key to our strategy to do as much as we can to promote in-house product. We would aim for 40% of the product that The Co-operative Travel Group agents and homeworkers sell to be in-house within the next three years.”
She added: “We’ve brought the brands together to achieve economies of scale. Having one product division means greater buying power and helps us increase price competitiveness.”
Chief executive Mike Greenacre said: “Since 2006 we’ve had a plan to take control of the holidays we sell. There are much better margins to be made that way.”
The first brochure from Co-operative Holidays was launched to branch managers in July this year. It is sold only through The Co-operative Travel shops, Future homeworkers and Freedom Travel Group members.