// Tui to close down another 48 stores after initially shutting down 166 last July
// The latest move will affect 273 staff, but they will be offered jobs elsewhere in the business
// Tui said the travel industry & high street were “both facing unprecedented pressure” due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Tui is planning to close 48 more retail stores in the UK, a move that will affect 273 staff.
The UK’s biggest tour operator said all employees affected by the decision will be offered new roles in other locations.
The news comes after Tui announced in July last year that 166 shops closed due to the pandemic would not reopen, which at the time was nearly a third of its total.
The firm is not publishing a list of the latest potential store closures.
Tui said the travel industry and the high street were “both facing unprecedented pressure” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it’s in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do,” the travel operator said.
“It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions and do our best to look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty.
“We believe Covid-19 has only strengthened a change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home.
“We have world class travel advisors at Tui, so we hope many of them will become homeworkers and continue to offer the personalised service we know our customers value.”
The travel industry has been badly hit by government restrictions and the collapse in demand during the pandemic.
The Anglo-German firm’s revenues in the three months to the end of 2020 fell from €3.86 billion (£3.39 billion) to just €468.1 million (£410 million) – a year-on-year drop of 88 per cent.
with PA Wires
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