Thomson plans to sell travel and leisure accessories

THOMSON will decide within six months whether to become a traditional retailer selling travel and leisure products ranging from clothes to suncream after admitting package-holiday sales are under pressure.

The multiple has announced a tie-up with overseas property company Parador Properties, allowing Thomson agents to earn £290 per successful villa sale and several thousand pounds per agency by passing on client details.

TUI UK commercial retail director Derek Jones is now identifying potential products to sell in agencies and the viability of electronic tills and stock controls.

He said selling new products could mean the difference between whether shops in its 750-strong estate stay open or not, and could even slow down the rate of agency closures, outlined by the group last year.

"If we do not respond, we'll continue to see a decline in package-holiday sales,” he admitted.

He denied shops would stop selling holidays but said rising rents meant other products had to be considered.

Thomson sales and marketing director Miles Morgan denied claims the move would cannibalise core package sales, despite admitting it could take 40,000 people out of the holiday-buying market in its first year. He projected holiday home sales of 1,000 in the first 12 months.

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