The airline and operator has signed an agreement to lease an 80,000sq/ft space at 500 Capability Green, which it plans to take up by summer 2026 following an extensive refurbishment and fit-out. The site is served by junction 10a of the M1 motorway and Luton Airport Parkway station.
The move will bring to an end a 20-year spell at Wigmore House, which has been Tui’s home since 2005. The firm currently employs more than 11,000 people in the UK and Ireland, and is currently licensed to operate 5.8 million Atol-protected holidays a year.
A Tui spokesperson confirmed to TTG the new space would accommodate everyone who is currently working from, or based at, Wigmore House, and would not result in any reduction in headcount.
EasyJet, meanwhile, secured a 52,752sq/ft space at 800 Capability Green earlier this year for its burgeoning holidays division, which increased its Atol by about a third earlier this month to just over three million authorisations. The airline was founded in Luton in 1995.
The two brands will be based around a five-minute walk from each other, which will undoubtedly result in a few new – and renewed – acquaintances following the launch of easyJet holidays in 2018, which recruited then Tui group managing director Garry Wilson as its chief executive – a Tui veteran of more than 20 years.
It is the latest in a string of changes at Tui as it transitions to what it describes as a "global curated leisure marketplace" model combining sales of traditional packages, dynamic packages and single components.
Tui has a new managing director in the UK and Ireland in Neil Swanson, who has taken over from British Airways Holidays-bound Andrew Flintham. Elsewhere, Helen Caron – who took over from Wilson when he left Tui in 2018 – has also left the business, departing after 24 years.
Tui said sustainability was at the heart of its decision to relocate to Capability Green, where its hopes to achieve an A-grade EPC – Energy Performance Certificate – and a "very good" BREEAM rating, a measure of how sustainable a building is.
The refurbishment will introduce new mechanical and electrical systems, transforming the building to electric-only, an electric hybrid heating and cooling system, EV charging points, upgraded windows and better insulation.
Swanson said the move would deliver a "dynamic and modern" workspace. "This new chapter for Tui marks a key milestone in supporting our growth, innovation and collaboration," he said, adding: "Importantly, this relocation supports our long-term environmental commitment and will provide our teams with a cutting-edge, sustainable workplace that meets the needs of the future."
