Ski operator Ski Weekends has been bought out of administration by its owners and is trading again.
Parent company Harris Holidays went into administration in August after 30 years, and 13 under managing director Dan Fox.
But Fox has now brought the company back, having funded the deal by taking on debt.
He said the operator will aim to return slowly, and start by selling direct only. It had previously sold about a third of its business through the trade, but Fox said he was “not expecting” the same levels of third-party sales in the initial resumption.
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“We still believe in the business, but it will be smaller,” he said. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring it back.”
Harris Holidays had held an Atol licence to carry 5,000 passengers a year. It aspires to apply for a new smaller licence going forwards.
Seven of the company’s 18 former members of staff were initially given their jobs back, but five have since had to be made redundant after restart plans were hampered when the UK imposed quarantine restrictions on travellers returning from France before Christmas.
“We were a perfectly good business and really looked after people, with great rebook rates from out loyal customers,” Fox told Travel Weekly. “What happened to us due, solely to Covid, was heart-breaking and financially crippling. Whilst a relatively small percentage of customers were adversely effected, we really wish we had been able to find a solution to refund them and carry on, it was still far too many, we still feel terrible for the upset and frustration the situation caused.”
He explained that the administrators had received 17 expressions of interest before th company folded, with a handful “quite serious” – but that, within 48 hours of Spain’s travel corridor being removed, all had pulled out.
“There were only two options,” he said. “Either allow the business to collapse or buy the business. We made the decision to buy the business from the administrators – totally self-funded. We had hoped to restart for this winter but there’s not going to be a ski season for the British now.”
Fox stressed that all customers who had holidays cancelled when the company went into administration had got their money back and that he had written to “every single one” of the company’s customers as part of the process of reviving the business.
“We thank our customers for their patience,” he said. “The vast majority stood by us every step of the way and many are already booking for winter 21-22.”