Travel 2/4 staff face relocation

NEARLY 200 Travel 2/Travel 4 staff face relocation or redundancy following plans to move operations to one ‘super centre’ in Scotland.

The consolidation plans come with news that Travel 2/4 founders and joint managing directors Stuart Harvey and Graham Moss are to take a back-seat role as company consultants.

Integration director Shaun Hinds, who joined Travel 2/4 when it was acquired by Cendant Corporation in 2003, has become the new MD, reporting to Cendant travel distribution services division head Gordon Wilson.

Hinds said he hoped “as many as possible” of the 190 staff in call centre, administration and ticketing roles in Glasgow, Manchester and London would relocate to the new purpose-built centre in Glasgow.

About 120 employees are already based in Glasgow, where the new facility will open on November 1 with 370 staff.

The company’s existing Manchester and Glasgow centres will close in November, but the London head office will continue to operate marketing, supplier relations and information technology functions. Staff will start a 90-day consultation period in the next fortnight.

“Clearly this will not be right for everyone, but our intention is to relocate as many staff as possible,” said Hinds. “We are not downsizing. Glasgow is important because it is our biggest base of existing staff.”

He said the move would improve business efficiency and service for agents, including call response times, and enable “significant” growth.

“By building a new centre, we’ll have space to grow and there will be more efficiencies through operating just one. We’re spending a lot of money to make this happen.”

The company plans to invest in its website so more products are bookable online.

Hinds said it was “always the intention” for founders Harvey and Moss to step down.