Midcounties Co-operative Travel is in advanced discussions to buy another six shops from the Thomas Cook/Co-operative Travel joint venture.
Of the 192 on the current list up for sale, Midcounties is close to securing Thomas Cook shops in Great Missenden and Market Harborough, and Co-op branches in Hucknall near Nottingham, Utoxeter, Chelmsley Wood in the Midlands and Loughborough.
General manager Alistair Rowland said: “We would have liked more, but the commercials didn’t stack up. Those shops on the first list last year were the bigger prize.”
Midcounties acquired seven shops from the first list released by the Thomas Cook/Co-op joint venture, including big stores in Solihull, Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield.
Rowland also revealed he was looking to add business travel into the Midcounties portfolio. He said: “We currently have a couple of homeworkers who do a bit of business travel but it’s the one leg I’ve not got.”
Asked if he’d like to acquire the Co-operative Travel Management business, which he used to run, from Cook, he said: “Of course I would love to have it back. But I think it’s a bit too big for us.”
Rowland said there were plenty of smaller business travel agencies up for sale by people who were looking to retire that could be snapped up.