09:00AM, Monday 25 November 2019
Two travel agents have described the moment they were ‘handed a lifeline’ following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
Being made redundant with immediate effect came as a huge shock for the six employees who worked at Maidenhead Thomas Cook, in the High Street.
The chain went into liquidation on September 23.
But, on Wednesday, October 9, Sunderland-based business Hays Travel bought all 555 Thomas Cook stores and offered to secure the jobs of all Thomas Cook staff who wanted them.
Describing the collapse, store manager Dan Churchill, said: “We were devastated. It was bereavement in the family, it felt that bad, it was horrendous.”
By the time the news broke that Hays Travel had bought the chain, Dan had found a new job at Tui Reading, but he was one of three employees who decided to return to Maidenhead High Street.
He said the announcement was ‘completely out of the blue’.
“We hadn’t, as employees, heard anything about the deal at all, it was kept very quiet – and then to be handed this lifeline, we were all elated,” said Dan.
Assistant manager Rhys Thomas said: “It was fantastic. I just called them up on the number that they’d given and gave them my details as an employee at Thomas Cook and then they sent me a contract the next morning.”
Hays Travel Maidenhead opened at the Thomas Cook site on Monday, October 21.
“There are limitless possibilities with us,” said Dan.
“We can give the customer exactly what they want.”
The global reverberations of the Thomas Cook collapse have meant holidays have increased in price but Hays Travel ‘are incredibly competitive, and there is flexibility there’, he said.
“Our tagline now, is ‘the High Street’s most well-loved travel agent’.
“The web is our friend. If you have got prices from the internet please come in and see us and we will do what we can for you.”
Hays Travel Maidenhead is also intending on working with charities and ‘adopting’ a primary school.
Something else the branch intends to do is maintain a presence on social media via ‘Hays Travel Maidenhead’ on Facebook and Instagram.
The platforms will be used to promote deals, give community updates, to let people know about road and rail closures which might effect holiday travel arrangements.
Every store, including Maidenhead, will be rebranded with temporary signs by January 20.
The Maidenhead store will also be looking to employ a further six employees by the new year.
Find out more at www.haystravel.co.uk
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