Co-op introduces its own-brand holidays

The Co-operative Group has forayed into the package holiday market.

The Co-op has started selling packages under its own name for summer 2010 in a joint venture with Cosmos Holidays, the UK’s largest independent tour operator, and sister airline Monarch, part of Globus Group.

The Co-op Group’s travel arm, Co-operative Travel, registered annual sales in excess of £1.3bin in its last financial year, but it will now sell its own summer 2010 holidays instead of just acting as agents for third parties.

“The travel industry has suffered more than most in the last 18 months as a result of the recession; a number of tour operators and airlines have ceased trading, so it may seem an inopportune moment to be launching a tour operation,” said Mike Greenacre, managing director of The Co-operative Travel.

“It is, however, a measure of the confidence that we have in our revitalised brand and in the strengths of Cosmos with nearly 50 years’ experience of tour operating and Monarch, a major player for over 40 years, that we choose to launch into such a difficult marketplace.”

It will sell the holidays through its 550 high street outlets, online and via its own call-centre.

The group’s three million members will also be able to benefit from a “double dividend” on top of the annual share of Co-op profits, with an extra point per pound spent on the tour operation, offering around £20 on a £1,000 holiday.