800 Lunn Poly shops to be re-branded

Nearly 800 Lunn Poly shops are to re-branded as Thomson, in a move aimed at creating a new “powerbrand” in time for the new year. The news comes after recent announcements from the parent company TUI UK that it is going to re-brand its Britannia airline as Thomsonfly. The shops will begin to be given their new identities at the start of December, with plans to complete the entire chain by 26 December. Peter Rothwell, managing director of TUI UK, said: “Thomson is an extremely powerful brand in travel, which has been known for its high-quality holidays since 1965. We need to maximise the brand. “We want people to have a clear understanding that Thomson caters for all their travel needs, whether it is a one-way flight to Malaga, two nights at a city-centre hotel in Paris, a villa in Italy or a five-star, tailor-made trip to Australia.” The first big marketing campaign for the re-branded Thomson will begin in January; as part of this, the company says 75 per cent of shops will have internet access and the ability to book more “dynamically-packaged” trips. Miles Morgan, sales and marketing director, said: “There is no doubt more people are using the internet to book and its our aim to sell more holidays through our website and television channels. “But millions of people still want a human face so they can have a chat with a specialist when it comes to booking a holiday. We certainly have no plans to close a large number of shops.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd