P&O cruise lines consolidate sales forces

Monday, 29 Apr, 2004 0

Four cruise lines under the P&O Princess Cruises umbrella are to combine their sales forces.

The 64-strong team will represent Cunard, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Ocean Village under the Complete Cruise Solution brand.

P&O Princess claims the move results in the largest ever sales force dedicated to agents in the UK and Ireland.

The company said the restructuring had not resulted in any compulsory redundancies and had been conducted in full consultation with staff.

All training, sales support and trade marketing material across the four lines will be consolidated from 1 June. More than 40 of the 64 staff will be based in Southampton.

The team will be made up of five regional sales teams and a sales operations function reporting to Giles Hawke, named as head of sales for the Complete Cruise Solution. He will report to P&O Cruises commercial director Nigel Esdale.

A newly created position of head of international sales has gone to former Cunard head of sales Neil King, responsible for developing business across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. He reports to Cunard senior vice president Europe, Peter Shanks.

Mr Esdale said the new set-up “will offer agents a convenient point of contact for its diverse and complmenetary brands”.

He added: “The new name will be aimed at our travel agent partners only, with individual brand identities being strongly preserved to the consumer.”

Mr Shanks predicted that the Complete Cruise Solution would “dramatically increase trade support for the Cunard brand in the UK”.

Report by Phil Davies

Phil Davies

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