LONDON, 11 October 2019: Up to 2,500 jobs at Thomas Cook could be saved after Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agent agreed Thursday to buy the historic holiday company’s high street shops.
Hays Travel will acquire the entire retail portfolio of 555 former Thomas Cook shops after it signed a deal with the Official Receiver and Special Managers from KPMG.
Hays Travel has already employed more than 25% of the former Thomas Cook retail employees and is proposing to re-open the stores with immediate effect where possible and to take on up to 2,500 people.
Over 100 new jobs will be based at the company’s Sunderland headquarters with the rest in shops across the UK.
Thomas Cook was placed in compulsory liquidation 23 September, upon which the Official Receiver was appointed by the court as liquidator.
Special Managers from KPMG were also appointed by the court to assist the Official Receiver with the liquidation.
According to the Hays Travel press statement at the invitation of the Civil Aviation Authority, it immediately responded to support thousands of customers on holiday or with holidays booked.
The company also offered jobs to over 600 former Thomas Cook employees and offered to help all of the Thomas Cook apprentices to complete their training at the Ofsted accredited Hays Travel Academy.
The latest move involves re-opening retail premises that will complement Hays Travel’s own 190 shops across the UK.
Hays Travel is a private company, jointly owned and managed by John Hays, managing director, and Irene Hays, chair of the Hays Travel Group.
The company hopes to take on as many of the 2,500 former Thomas Cook retail employees as possible in the coming weeks, doubling its workforce.
Chairperson Irene Hays said: “Thomas Cook was a much-loved brand and a pillar of the UK and the global travel industry. We will build on the good things Thomas Cook had – not least its people – and that will put us in even better stead for the future.”
John Hays said: “Our staff were devastated to hear about Thomas Cook and we all immediately felt we wanted to help.
“In the last two weeks, we have already employed or offered jobs to around 600 former Thomas Cook colleagues, and it has been a very emotional experience for them. Now that we are able to re-open the shops, we are looking forward to welcoming many more people who share our passion for the travel industry, into our family business.
“I’m very proud of the fantastic team who have helped me build Hays Travel over almost 40 years, and they have worked tirelessly over the last couple of weeks to bring this about. It is a game-changer for us, almost trebling the number of shops we have and doubling our workforce – and for the industry, which will get to keep some of its most talented people.”
The 40-year-old Sunderland-based company reached sales of more than UKP1 billion in 2018 and celebrated by sharing UKP1m with its 1900 employees, who each received UKP100 for every year they’d worked there.
