Banbury travel store among 89 nationwide permanent closures

The travel firm, took over 555 former Thomas Cook high street offices — including the one in Banbury — after the 178-year-old organisation collapsed in 2019.

Last week Hays Travel revealed plans to close 89 branches as part of a planned consolidation of its retail estate. The travel company is offering options for alternative work to 388 staff affected.

The travel company did not issue a list of locations facing closure but a company spokesperson confirmed the Banbury location in the High Street has been named as one of those branches set to permanently close.

A spokesperson for Hays Travel said: "We will not be renewing the lease of the Banbury shop. We are discussing options for alternative work for colleagues in Banbury. There are a number of options to consider including home working, joining the 'Homeworking Division,' virtual call centre or transfer to another shop where there is a vacancy and that is possible.

"Our customers continue to be looked after, via zoom, Skype, FaceTime and phone etc during the lockdown."

Following the expiry of the licence, the company had deferred reviewing the performance of the former Thomas Cook shops it acquired in October 2019 to see if business returned in 2021.

However the third national lockdown and travel ban leading to major holiday operators suspending flights and holidays, meant the company had to act.

Jonathon Woodall, chief operating officer, said: "The company would begin consulting with 388 retail staff on potential options to reduce the number of redundancies. Our first priority is to continue to look after our customers and we offer the highest standards of customer service through our retail, phone and online divisions.

"We are continuing with our robust two-year business plan and continue to be ready for the bounce back when it comes.”

Dame Irene Hays, owner and chair of Hays Travel, said: “It was always our intention to review the performance of our shops at the end of the licence period - we had hoped the business would bounce back in January and it has not. We have done everything we could to safeguard jobs and the business thus far, and we have come up with a range of options for those at risk of redundancy to help as many colleagues as we can.”

Hays Travel currently operates 535 shops and employs 7,700 people. During the lockdown, many staff are currently working from home, taking bookings for holidays for 2021 and beyond.