A new Shearings’ advert has aired on TV It features the escorted coach tours’ company’s major rebrand and change of tone. It was shown across ITV1, C4, C5 and various Sky channels. The TV ad is the first for Shearings since 2021, which was shortly after Leger Holidays’ acquisition of the brand. Leger Shearings Group’s CEO Liam Race said: “The 2021 Shearings TV commercial was very practical, we didn’t want to scare away the loyal ‘old’ Shearings’ customers, who had stuck with us through the change of ownership.” “This advert follows Shearings’ new tone of voice and brings out the fact that ‘there’s no drama’ with escorted coach tours, so you can enjoy the places you visit.” The ad highlights one of Shearing’s new hassle-free promises - no lugging of luggage. It ends with Shearings’ new ‘hassle-free holidays’ strapline and a travel agent call-to-action. “We want to put the fun back into holidays and highlight that we take care of everything,” race added. The ad will run throughout January and February. A new-look website was launched and advertising campaigns kicked off in December, with more casual, playful language; a change in photography style and simplified layouts.

Shearings has introduced a new product line called ‘Direct-Route Mini-Breaks’. It comprises a collection of three-day UK mini-breaks offering more hassle-free direct routes, shorter journey times, with limited stops along the way and no change of coach at an interchange. It gives more time at the destination and all breaks are still fully escorted. The new direct-route mini-breaks are included in the latest ‘Discover the Best of the UK & Ireland’ 2024 – 26 brochure. There’s a choice of Weekends Away; Short Midweek Stays; Music & Theatre Breaks and Event Getaways. The joining points for the Mini-Breaks have been simplified and there will be between just five and eight pick-ups at the most popular joining points along the route. There are no super early pick-ups, with the first scheduled for around 7am. Included in the brochure is a guide to the tour routes and the nearest joining points. The weekends away and short midweek stays both feature shorter durations of Shearings’ classic tours. They include coach travel, hotel, breakfast and evening meals, an included excursion such as a cruise or railway journey, with everything included in the price. These mini-breaks are perfect for customers who prefer a shorter journey, or would like a ‘taster’ first-time coach break. A collection of over 10 event getaways includes airshows, festivals and fairs such as the BBC Gardeners’ World Live, the Blackpool Airshow, and the Great Yorkshire Show. Getting there, hotel, tickets and meals are included, and they’re perfect for those who want to attend an event and make a short break of it. The music & theatre breaks feature a variety of shows including TINA: The Tina Turner Musical showing in Liverpool and Manchester, André Rieu in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool, and ABBA Voyage in London. These breaks have the same inclusions except dinner isn’t included, giving people their own choice of pre-show meal. Provision has been made for customers with mobility issues, with an allocation of end-of-aisle seating secured and seats in the stalls with no or limited steps. Leger Shearings Group’s CEO, Liam Race said: “The demand for UK holidays shows no sign of slowing down and so we’ve carefully put together this collection of getaways with shorter journey times to get to the destination swiftly.” 

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Leger Shearings Group had record-breaking travel booking sales in January 2023. It rose 86% compred to the same month last year. It said 31 January was a record for the highest travel booking sales in a single day. During January this record was broken 17 times. Travel agent bookings were up 119% for January. The group comprises escorted coach tour companies Leger Holidays, Shearings and Arena Travel. Individually each brand excelled during the Peaks booking period. Leger Holidays outperformed January 2019. Shearings showed 34% growth against last January. Bookings for European holidays across all three brands, have surged, the company says.