The peaks marketing campaigns for Hays Travel and Miles Morgan Travel will be bigger than ever, following a “seamless” takeover by Hays almost six months ago.
Hays Travel acquired southwest miniple Miles Morgan Travel in May and last week announced the brand will open its 20th branch, in the Wiltshire town of Trowbridge.
Dame Irene Hays told a Travel Weekly webcast: “It’s going to be such an incredibly exciting January. It is going to be amazing.
“Fundamentally, it will be similar in terms of the principles. We are clearly focusing on our campaign for January and February now, and that will be bigger than it’s ever been before, as will our marketing budget for January and February.”
She also noted the one-year anniversary of the Travel House acquisition, adding: “We’ve kept those as two discrete brands.
“Their ambition for January and February and their campaigns are excellent. In both cases, they’re stronger than they’ve ever been before, and hopefully Hays Travel will be too.
“The principles are pretty much the same, but bigger and more of it.”
Mandy Shillito, Miles Morgan Travel managing director, also confirmed that the chain will be opening on Sundays throughout January and February.
“The team are all up for that because they want to be winning. Hopefully we’ll gain more profit from it,” she said.
She hailed the transition process since the acquisition, commented: “Everyone was shocked first of all. The first of May was a challenging day.
“I have been through three acquisitions myself and it has been the most seamless. Hays have been absolutely incredible.”
She said Miles Morgan Travel’s team now feels part of the Hays family, especially following the recent Hays Travel conference in Turkey.
“We have learned a lot. It has been a great journey,” she said.
“We are very lucky. We haven’t lost anyone because of the acquisition. I’m really proud of that.
“We are looking forward to a strong January ahead, and we’ve had some record sales.”
Asked about challenges, she commented: “Change itself is a challenge, and we’ve got people who have worked with us for a long, long time and weren’t expecting those changes.
“But people have really embraced them well, and now we are seeing some real benefits of being part of something bigger.”
She said one of the benefits was learning from Hays Travel about increasing profitability by selling more ancillaries and insurance, and selling a wider range of suppliers.
Hays also highlighted how Miles Morgan Travel staff now have the opportunity to progress further in their careers.
“We give opportunities for talented people to progress, and there are more opportunities in a bigger organisation than in a smaller one,” she said.
However, Hays Travel has also learned from Miles Morgan Travel, such as its bonuses for top sellers and consumer events.
“We featured the Miles Morgan way of hosting consumer events at conference, and it was incredibly well received,” Hays added.
“It is a symbiotic relationship and it is working out very well.”
Shillito continued: “The team said, about the conference, that they realised that Hays have got the same values as us. They’re just larger.”
She also hailed the support from her Miles Morgan colleagues, Hays Travel and suppliers as she stepped up to become managing director after founder Miles Morgan handed over the reins.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. The teams have made it much easier for me because they’ve been so supportive and very responsive. They’ve been incredible,” she said.
“We have got such a strong, steely team. We’ve all upped our game even more because we’ve wanted to prove to Hays.”
Hays added: “On many occasions since joining Hays, the Miles Morgan performance has been outstanding.
“That is a good thing all around, because Hays Travel people are also competitive.
“From a performance point of view, both organisations have an incredible work ethic.
“We have had some stellar performances from Miles Morgan since the acquisition, but obviously many divisions and regions within the Hays Travel family are very successful too.”