Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green has described the company’s UK business as “central” to the group and its retail operation as “critical”.
In an exclusive interview with Travel Weekly following last week’s third-quarter results, Green said: “We’ve delivered eight consecutive quarters of increased profit. We’re back, stronger and more resilient.”
She insisted: “The UK is central to Thomas Cook. As I’ve said many times, ‘fix the UK and we’ll fix Thomas Cook’”
Green took over at Thomas Cook just over two years ago after a rapid decline in the company’s fortunes over the previous 12 months. She said: “We’ve taken really tough decisions to stabilise and strengthen the business while building our future.
“The UK business has progressed really well. The performance is testament to everyone in the UK.
“Better products, a new website, six concept stores, the beautiful new multi-channel ‘We love’ campaign and other developments are making a real difference.”
She added: “Retail is critical to our omni-channel strategy. Customers love the personal touch and very few in the UK use only one channel. Our high street presence is very important.”
Green said: “The team has had to deal with a lot of change, particularly in the UK.” But she added: “We still have much to do.”