Budget-conscious Brits boost Shearings’ figures
Saturday, 28 Mar, 2011
0
Squeezed household budgets and the attraction of cheaper holidays at home prompted a 6% rise in bookings for Shearings’ 2010 trading figures.
The coach operator said it was particularly pleased with the performance of its value brands National Holidays and Caledonian which enjoyed year-on-year sales growth of 15%.
Adjusted operating profits rose 12% to £4.6 million and revenues were 4% higher than 2009, at £187.1 million.
Shearings received some 684,000 bookings in 2010, compared to 640,000 in 2009.
The company said shorter stay holidays were more in demand as people watched their purses, with domestic beach resorts such as Torquay and Llandudno popular. It also saw a rise in interest in Scottish Highlands trips, the New Forest, the Cotswolds and the Lake District. City breaks also proved in demand.
However, the operator’s portfolio of hotels showed slightly less healthy growth although it did match 2009’s performance.
Chief executive Denis Wormwell said: “Last year presented a challenge for most operators in our market, with generally weak consumer confidence affecting people’s holiday budgets and two spells of adverse weather. Against this backdrop, the board was very pleased with the group’s overall sales and profit performance and the strength of its balance sheet.
“Significant investment in our coach fleet, holiday product, hotel estate and marketing has enabled us to continue to provide quality, value for money product for our loyal customer base, while broadening our appeal to new customers. This places our divisions in a strong position to accelerate sales and profits growth.
“The board is particularly pleased with progress of the group’s value holidays division, where our product has met the needs of holidaymakers struggling with rising inflation and lower discretionary budgets.
“This demonstrates the success of our strategy to develop a broad product offering for an increasingly diverse range of customers and income groups."
by Dinah Hatch
.
Dinah
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists