TUI to close 166 stores across the UK and Ireland
The travel firm hope to retain around 70% of 900 affected staff in new homeworking sales and service roles.
Last updated 30th Jul 2020
TUI are set to close 166 of their high street shops across the UK and Ireland.
The travel firm says the move they'd planned further in the future has been accelerated due to the impact of Covid-19.
They do hope to offer around 70% of impacted staff a new role in homeworking sales or services.
The company have yet to confirm which stores they plan to close.
Andrew Flintham, Managing Director TUI UK and Ireland said: “We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it’s in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do. It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions, look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty and also offer a modern customer service.
“Customer behaviours have already changed in recent years, with 70% of all TUI UK bookings taking place online. We believe COVID-19 has only accelerated this change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home. We have world class travel advisors at TUI, so we hope many of them will become homeworkers and continue to offer the personalised service we know our customers value.”