The Anglia Co-operative has joined the Freedom Travel Group as the consortium ups the ante in the face of increased competition.
Six new members, including Anglia, have joined the Thomas Cook-owned consortium in the past two months.
Alison Holmes, head of Freedom Travel Group, said the consortium would take a more “bullish” approach in the new year, with various initiatives planned.
She told Travel Weekly: “In the new year we’re planning to review our marketing campaigns and refresh our website and adverts.
“We’ll also be stepping up our recruitment for new members. You’re going to see the new Freedom.”
The Anglia Co-op has 13 high street shops and is looking to expand.
Specialist retail group manager Paul Dale said the decision to join Freedom was to gain access to strong commercial deals with a broader choice of operators to sell to customers.
He said: “This is the perfect fit for us because it gives us a greater scope of operators to work with.”
Dale said the move would also give the agency group the flexibility to grow its high street network, adding: “We are looking to plug gaps in East Anglia.
Freedom, now part of the Thomas Cook Co-operative Travel joint venture, marked its 10th anniversary this year.
It has faced competition from new start-up consortia such as The Co-op Consortium, part of Midcounties Co-op Travel, and the Broadway Travel consortium.
Other new Freedom members include North Wales-based start-up The Travel Signature and Travel With Jules in Suffolk.