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Manchester suffers job losses as Thomas Cook cuts costs

27/06/2007

Thomas Cook Group has announced that 150 shops and six offices in the UK are to close, affecting 15 per cent of staff, many of whom are based in Greater Manchester.

The company said the closures were necessary to help the group cut £95 million in costs following the merger between Thomas Cook and MyTravel.

Holiday House in Rochdale, the former headquarters of MyTravel, a customer service centre in Rawtenstall, a warehouse in Denton and MyTravel's airline operations base in Manchester, will all close as a result.

Chris Fletcher, policy director at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said the company's decision to close outlets is a "blow for Greater Manchester and Rochdale in particular".

"MyTravel is a major employer in the area and has had a long-standing association with the area for over 30 years," he said.

Thomas Cook Group, Europe's second-largest travel company, is 52 per cent-owned by German retail chain KarstadtQuelle and 48 per cent-owned by MyTravel shareholders.

The group has said it will make efforts to relocate some of the staff to other parts of the company.



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