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McEwan lays into former employer
Ex-Thomson director John McEwan has attacked his old company, claiming it has no intention of working with independents.
McEwan, who is now Triton director and was previously managing director of Lunn Poly, said the company had been planning for years to cut out retailers.
“I have inside knowledge of the way the TUI board works and it has a vision of direct sell for a long time and it’s just the timing they needed to get right,” he said.
“They use independents for their own expediency, for example when they want to shift holidays in particular regions, but they have no intention of building a relationship.”
McEwan said Thomson would not reverse its decision to cut commissions to agents but said it had made a huge mistake.
“Thomson are getting the volume of sales through their own shops, although this has gone off the boil a bit since January,” he said.
“But I doubt they are making the margins because they are spending millions marketing their own brand.
“Also, they have cut off valuable marketing of their brand on the high street by switching off independent agents. Selling through independents is a variable cost, you don’t pay a penny until there is a sale, but they’ve chosen to switch that off.”
He claimed that First Choice was taking a risk by following Thomson in cutting commissions.
“They’ve joined in but the action is questionable because they don’t have the same number of outlets as Thomson to sell their own holidays.”
Report by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)
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