Hays Travel
{{short description|Independent travel agent chain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hays Travel Limited
| logo = Hays Travel Group Logo.svg
| image =
| image_caption =
| type = Private
| industry = Hospitality, tourism
| predecessor = Thomas Cook Retail Limited
(450+ branches)
| founded = {{start date and age|1980}}
| founder = John Hays
| hq_location_city = Sunderland
| hq_location_country = England
| num_locations = 494
| area_served = United Kingdom
| key_people = Dame Irene Hays (Chair)
Jonathon Woodall (Chief Operating Officer)
| products = Charter and scheduled passenger airlines, package holidays, cruise lines, hotels and resorts
| brands = Hays Cruise
Hays Faraway
| owner = Dame Irene Hays (100%)
| revenue =
| website = {{URL|https://www.haystravel.co.uk}}
}}
File:Hays Travel, Denton (geograph 6355533).jpg
Hays Travel Limited is an independent travel agent chain headquartered in Sunderland, England. {{As of|2024|February}}, the company has the largest number of retail travel shops in the United Kingdom, at 494.{{Cite web |title=Leading travel agents by number of outlets UK 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/564385/travel-agents-consortia-by-number-of-outlets-united-kingdom-uk/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=Statista |language=en}} Nearly 90% of the company's bookings are made using travel consultants in its retail outlets. In 2023 Hays Travel also began selling holidays via their website.{{cite news|newspaper=Financial Times|title=Hays Travel hunts for deals to expand presence on UK high street|url=https://www.ft.com/content/a8756717-82fe-4d54-867d-08cf326387cb|first=Eri|last=Sugiura|location=London|date=9 October 2024|url-access=subscription}}
History
Hays Travel was founded in 1980 by John Hays in Seaham, Durham. Hays initially opened a small retail store behind his mother's clothing store.{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/meet-couple-behind-hays-travel-17057386|title=Meet the couple behind Hays Travel as they offer hope to thousands of Thomas Cook staff|publisher=Chronicle Live|date= 9 October 2019|accessdate=11 October 2019}} Since May 2018, Hays Travel reached sales of over £1 billion.{{cite web|url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/303566/hays-travel-passes-1bn-sales-mark|title=Hays Travel passes £1bn sales mark|publisher=Travely Weekly|accessdate=12 July 2019}} The company's turnover increased by £42 million over 2017, when pre-tax profit was up slightly to £10.1 million. At the time, the company had around 1,500 employees.{{cite web |url=https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-east/hays-travel-increases-sales-beyond-1bn |title=Hays Travel Increases Sales Beyond £1bn |date=25 February 2019 |publisher=Insider Media |access-date=23 November 2019 |quote=}}
= Expansion =
On 9 October 2019, Hays Travel announced that it had purchased all the stores of the travel agency Thomas Cook Group, another large travel group headquartered in the UK, which were expected to close due to the business entering liquidation during the previous months. The company took over 550 retail locations across the United Kingdom. News reports at the time indicated that Hays would almost treble the number of existing stores and double its workforce.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49985369|title=Rival buys all 555 Thomas Cook stores|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=9 October 2019|date=2019-10-09}} The step of acquiring the stores was considered controversial within the industry at the time.
= Later acquisitions =
On 5 September 2020, Hays Travel acquired Tailor-Made Travel, a Welsh chain of travel agencies with approximately 100 employees. It announced the closure of 11 of the 19 shops a month later.{{cite web|url=https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/385271/hays-travel-acquires-tailor-made-travel|title=Hays Travel acquires Tailor Made Travel|publisher=Travely Weekly|accessdate=7 September 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/388240/hays-travel-to-close-11-ex-tailor-made-travel-branches|title=Hays Travel to close 11 ex-Tailor Made Travel branches|publisher=Travely Weekly|accessdate=6 October 2020}}
In May 2024 Hays Travel acquired Miles Morgan Travel, a travel agent with 19 branches.{{cite news|title=Hays Travel acquires 19-branch Miles Morgan Travel|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/hays-travel-acquires-19-branch-miles-morgan-travel|website=Travel Weekly|first=Phil|last=Davies|date=1 May 2024}} Hays continues to seek expansion through further high-street acquisitions.
Employees
By the end of November 2019, Hays stated that it would hire an extra 1,500 staff, in addition to its 2,330 who previously worked for Thomas Cook. The total number of Hays Travel employees would total 5,700 people, after the planned hirings.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50501807 |title=Thomas Cook's new owner creates 1,500 new jobs |date=21 November 2019 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=23 November 2019 |quote=}} In March 2020, following the purchase of Thomas Cook, Hays Travel was named as one of the Top 100 Employers in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |url=https://sunderlandvibe.com/hays-travel-recognised-as-one-of-the-uks-top-employers/|title= Hays Travel recognised as one of the UKs Top Employers |date=6 March 2020 |publisher=Sunderland Vibe |access-date=10 March 2020 |quote=}}
On 3 August 2020, Hays Travel announced up to 878 members of its retail staff would be made redundant. This was mainly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|url=https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/381554/hays-travel-starts-consultation-with-878-staff|title=Hays Travel starts consultation with 878 staff|publisher=Travely Weekly|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.haystravel.co.uk}}
Category:1980 establishments in England
Category:British companies established in 1980
Category:Transport companies established in 1980
Category:Companies based in the City of Sunderland
Category:Travel and holiday companies of the United Kingdom