First Choice boss outlines “aggressive” expansion plans

Tuesday, 06 Aug, 2002 0

First Choice is set to open up to 50 new shops within 12 months, despite claiming a significant increase in its number of online bookings.

The holiday giant is also planning to relocate some of its outlets within Asda supermarket stores where bookings have been disappointing.

First Choice managing director UK distribution John Wimbleton (right) told TravelMole there was a still enough demand for traditional travel agencies to justify opening more branches.

Mr Wimbleton said: “We are in a slightly different position from the other major operators because we only have around 300 travel agencies, including the holiday hypermarkets.

“We feel there are opportunities on high streets where we do not have a presence and that’s why we have an aggressive plan for shop openings. We’ll have another 50, which includes four hypermarkets, within an absolute maximum of 12 months. We’ll also relocate around 10 to areas where we think we can improve sales.”

Mr Wimbleton claimed the company’s website, firstchoice.co.uk has seen good growth. All of the company’s late deals are now being put on the site.

He told TravelMole: “I can’t give numbers, but it has been a fantastic success. We did a lot of work on what customers want and we also looked at other successful sites, like easyJet.com. It’s also impartial, presenting people with the facts and letting them choose for themselves.

“But we don’t see a slump in demand from the high street. If anything, there may have been a switch away from mediums like Teletext.”

He claimed the website had been particularly successful at selling ancillary products such as car hire. “The website presents car hire to the customer. It is an automated service. Often human beings in travel agencies are not offering those products in addition to the holiday.”

However he admitted that the performance of its 60 Travel Choice Express outlets in Asda supermarkets had been mixed. “We’re working with them to change some of the locations. There are about six that I want to switch. But in some cases it is down to the location of the outlet in the store. Twenty yards can make the difference between success and failure. If you’re at one end of the check-out that only opens on a Saturday, you’ve got a problem.”

See our previous stories:
22 Jul 2002: MyTravel appoints new European chief
11 Jun 2002: Prudent capacity cuts benefit First Choice
07 Jun 2002: EC “was wrong” to block Airtours/ First Choice merger