Head of omnichannel development Ellis Cain-Jones confirmed to TTG that “a couple of pilots” had been carried out at pop-up travel shops over the past two years to develop ideas for the revamped branches.
Your Co-op Travel ran two travel pop-ups in Your Co-op Food supermarkets in Stroud and Coleford in Gloucestershire in 2021.
Outlining plans to revamp shops, Cain-Jones said: “Some of the [retail] formats we’ve been looking at were at pop-ups.
“We’ve had a couple of pilots that we have tested over the last 24 months and we’ll take the learnings from these.”
Cain-Jones confirmed the revamped shops would be run by existing staff.
He added: “We’re first and foremost a retail organisation that is looking to increase the branches and the choice of channels that it offers.”
Your Co-op Travel currently has 71 branches within its retail network and 120 self-employed Personal Travel Agents on its books.
However, while Cain-Jones insisted the business was “always” looking to open more shops, he said the focus was currently on revamping its existing retail estate.
“The whole idea [revamping stores] is about giving our colleagues a better working environment,” Cain-Jones added.
To that end, Your Co-op Travel is currently redesigning its shops with the help of interior and design agency Twelve Studio.
The new design, complete with an interactive magnetic map and digital screens, debuted at the Your Co-op Travel store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and has since been unveiled at the agency’s shop in Lydney in Gloucestershire.
The redesign programme is expected to finish early next year.
Both children and adults can use the interactive maps, said Cain-Jones. “The parents can scan a QR code to find out more destination content,” he explained.
“There are travel touch screens – two per store – where customers can research the destinations they’re travelling to.”
Cain-Jones revealed there would also be a travel hub in each store, where customers can have refreshments and learn more about destinations.
In some Your Co-op Travel branches, like Stourport-on-Severn, there is even a travel library filled with destination guides and books, he added.
Sustainability is key part of the revamp. Cain-Jones revealed some fittings in the stores had been recycled or upcycled from the existing retail estate.
When asked why Your Co-op Travel develops so many sales channels, Cain-Jones said: “It’s about adapting to the modern economy and that means being available 24/7.
“Whatever a customer’s choice of channel - branch, e-commerce through a mobile-first designed website, telephone or social media - we’ll be there.”
Your Co-op Travel launched its Agent Management System (AMS) before the summer to group every distribution channel together so agents could see each customer’s booking preferences.
“Customers may interact with one or more channels before they book,” he said. “The customer may interact via one channel and book on another. The AMS is about making the booking process smoother.”
