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Travel group to sell holidays in the post office
Minoan Group has signed a deal with the National Federation of Sub Postmasters to install computerised travel agency kiosks across the UK’s network of 9,000 sub post offices.
Glasgow-based Minoan aims to open up at least 1,000 kiosks over the next five years. It said the deal gave the firm access to millions of customers who use post offices every week.
An initial three-month pilot phase will see up to 50 kiosks installed mainly in market town-based sub post offices, with a further 50 added every three months.
Each unmanned kiosk will feature two computer screens, displaying a range of holiday offers. A keyboard and touch screen facility will allow customers to browse the market and choose their holiday in four touches, it claimed.
The kiosks will come under Minoan’s new Postcard Travel brand and be operated through the group’s Stewart Travel subsidiary.
Chief executive Duncan Wilson said: "This gives us the opportunity to have complete national coverage in the UK.
"The operation will be offer driven and we will work very hard with our suppliers to provide the very best exclusive offers to the very many commercially driven postmasters who will point out the service to their customers and tell them about these deals."
Most sub postmasters run their Post Office business under the same roof as another retail business. In urban areas this is often a newsagent or stationery business and in rural areas it is, typically, a village shop.
Wilson said he believed the greatest potential for the kiosks lay in rural and semi rural areas where there was "limited access to the mainstream high street".
In the last year, Minoan has acquired several travel businesses in Scotland including King World Travel, John Semple Travel, Stewart Travel and the Ski Travel Centre.
In September, the company received a major boost when the Greek authorities agreed to fast track its plans for an £80m hotel and leisure development in Crete.
Wilson said the exclusive deal with NFSP would enhance Minoan’s national position within the travel agency business. We believe the initiative will also provide a welcome stimulus to the economy at a time when the high street generally is coming under increasing pressure, resulting in the closure of a wide range of retail services particularly within rural towns," he added.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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