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Almost 170 former Thomas Cook shops now open
Hays Travel has opened more ex-Thomas Cook shops, with the figure now standing at 168.
The company, run by John and Irene Hays, said ‘many more’ of the 555 former Thomas Cook branches it has acquired will be re-opened throughout this week.
The UK’s largest independent travel agent now has 1,954 former Thomas Cook employees on its books.
More applications are being taken and the recruitment helpline is open all week on 0800 215 5995.
The first Hays Travel holiday booked in a Thomas Cook shop happened last week at the Denmark Centre in South Shields, and since then more bookings have been taking place all over the country.
John Hays said: "Irene and I have been taken aback by the good will and well wishes from the public over the past few days.
"It really has been humbling. We’re so proud of our wonderful teams, both old and new, who have come together working around the clock to get as many new branches up and running as quickly as possible."
The couple say they have been in a ‘media whirlwind’ since their plans to buy the shops were announced last week.
They have done 60 interviews with the regional and national press, including BBC1’s 6 o’clock news and ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Dozens of former Thomas Cook and Hays Travel staff have also been in the media spotlight across the UK since the news broke.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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