TUI confirms nationwide shop rebrand
TUI has confirmed all its UK shops will be rebranded as Thomson to end public confusion about what type of holidays were available in which of its shops.
The £8m rebrand will begin this month in the Exeter region and will be completed by 2013.
All shops will be fitted with a new facia with the wording "Thomson….featuring First Choice" to make it clear they sell the whole range of TUI holidays.
Since Thomson and First Choice merged in 2007, both brands have operated separately but offer the same holiday. However, since First Choice became all-inclusive last year, some First Choice shop managers expressed concern that not all customers were aware they still sold a range of product.
TUI said the rebrand would see Thomson become the leading TUI brand on the high street but at the same time the project will triple the presence of First Choice around the country.
The project has been spearheaded by retail director Kathryn Ward and distribution director Nick Longman, who recently also took on the role of online director for the Mainstream Sector.
“We have two major, distinctive brands, and have a strong presence across the country. We want to make the biggest, clearest impact we can, for our customers.," said Longman.
"Thomson is a hugely recognised brand and will therefore take the lead on all shops, but First Choice will also feature because it has a clear proposition and strong appeal in its own right.
“There is certainly room for both brands, and customers will benefit from the breadth and clarity of what we have to offer. To ensure we remain market leaders on the high street we need to give our customers unrivalled accessibility to the best choice of our wide range of products. That’s why we are bringing both our market leading brands to all of the towns we operate in.”
In a separate move, today marks the first day of electronic ticket use for all Thomson and First Choice customers who booked beach holidays online. Since 3am this morning, staff have been at Manchester and Gatwick airports helping customers to check in with their new e-tickets, which have replaced the ticket booklets in use for the past nine years.
The new e-tickets and travel vouchers are sent to customers as PDF attachments in an email around 6 weeks to departure. Customers can print off their tickets from their email and they can also access and print their e-ticket from their own personalised website, ‘mythomson.co.uk’ or ‘myfirstchoice.co.uk’.
The move is part of committments by Thomson and First Choice to reduce the amount of paper they use and lower their carbon emissions.
By Linsey McNeill
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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