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Cosmos to discontinue Archers brand
Cosmos is to discontinue its Archers Holidays brand at the end of the year.
The division, which has the same products and prices as Cosmos, was set up in the 90s as direct-sell brand Archers Direct.
Two years ago, it became an agent-facing brand, but Cosmos sales director Janet Parton said it has received ‘minimal interest’ from agents.
In a statement, Cosmos said: "Supporting and empowering our travel agent partners is one of our most important priorities. Every day we are developing, evaluating and revaluating our products, strategies and initiatives in order to be more trade-friendly and customer-centric across every level of our business.
"From June 2018 we will be focusing on our core global brands of Cosmos, Avalon Waterways and now Globus, which we are gradually introducing into the UK market by 2020 as a standalone touring brand to complement Cosmos in the escorted touring sector.
"As a result, we have decided to discontinue our Archers Holidays brand by the end of this calendar year. Price parity has existed between Archers and Cosmos for over two years, and Archers customers have exactly the same holiday experience as Cosmos customers, served by the same administration team in Bromley on tours operated by exactly the same teams in Lugano and Denver.
"By winding down the brand, we are further committing to aligning our touring offering with other markets in the Globus Family of Brands.
"Having relaunched the Cosmos brand in April 2017, the closure of Archers will also support our commitment to Cosmos as our hero brand in the UK."
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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