Thomson and First Choice to open 30 shops

Thomson and First Choice will open 30 new shops in the next two years to meet growing consumer demand.

Distribution director Nick Longman said the decision had been made after a Mintel report entitled Holidays – Attitudes and the Impact of Recession, released in January, revealed a 6% growth in consumer use of travel agencies between 2005 and 2009.

The move is also contrary to current high street trends, which show the number of empty shops on Britain’s high streets has risen from 10% in the middle of last year, to 12.4% now.

Longman said: “We have been listening to our customers and many of them have said they want face to face contact when booking and researching holidays.

“The popularity of booking holidays through shops should not be to the detriment of other booking channels. The web and call centre, as methods for researching and booking holidays, continue to play a vital role.

“However, many consumers see the benefits of having a travel agent to do the work for them. This can be for a number of reasons. Whether they value the knowledge an agent can give them or they want the reassurance of having an expert make the booking.

“There are also a growing number of people who simply do not have time to undertake the research involved, so want to enlist the help of a third party.”

While the locations of the new stores are yet to be confirmed, the announcement comes as Tui UK and Ireland completes a rebranding programme of 40 First Choice Holiday Hypermarkets into either Thomson or First Choice Holiday superstores.

Video: TUI’s Christian Cull on the new openings