Hays Travel owners John and Irene Hays revealed that they had already hired Thomas Cook’s Regional Managers for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Kent, Essex and East Anglia, who have in turn been re-hiring Thomas Cook staff in their areas.
Many of Thomas Cook’s 555 shops will re-open today as Hays Travel stores after the UK’s largest independent travel agent cut a deal with the failed company’s liquidators to acquire its entire retail chain for an undisclosed sum.
Speaking to the media yesterday, just hours after the agreement was signed, Hays Travel owners John and Irene Hays pledged to re-open every single store as soon as possible.
“We can populate the shops already, we mobilised very quickly,” said Irene. “Many will open and be trading tomorrow, the rest will follow asap.
The acquisition, which includes Thomas Cook’s stores, its fixtures and fittings and its customer databases but not the brand, will almost triple the number of shops in Hays’ portfolio.
