When Classic Collection was shuttered last September, TravCorp's new group chief executive Andy Freeth's first thought was for his ex-colleagues and if there was anything he could do for them in their hour of need.
He also sensed an opportunity.
The timing couldn't have been better; just weeks into his tenure, TravCorp acquired Specialist Holidays Group (SHG), home to the well-established and well-liked Citalia, American Holidays and Sovereign Luxury Travel brands.
With all three operators selling through the trade, it opens up a whole new distribution channel for TravCorp – a channel with which Freeth is very familiar.
Moreover, prior to returning to travel with TravCorp, Freeth had most recently been chief executive of Classic, and was well aware of the talents there who had suddenly found themselves out of work.
"We're an agile business with supportive shareholders," he tells TTG. "We felt we could salvage some of what was great with Classic."
'We're commercial animals, but we ultimately care about people'
SHG took on former Classic head of trade distribution Jorge Quibell and key account manager Kim Sellman, doubling SHG's trade team in size. Quibell and Sellman joined an already highly experienced team at SHG led by sales director Simon Garrido.
At the time, Garrido said it would allow SHG to "fast track" its trade strategy. The team, which also features trade partnerships manager Luke Swarbrook, was further strengthened in November with the addition of trade marketing executive Chloe Turner, another ex-Classic colleague.
"We're commercial animals," Freeth continues. "We work hard and play hard, but we ultimately care about people."
In some ways, Freeth's move to TravCorp brought him full circle. He knew some of the TravCorp senior leadership team from his long career with Global Travel Group, Stella Travel Services and latterly dnata, where he managed its Travel2 and Gold Medal B2B brands.
They included Andrew Botterill, who headed up Global, Stella and dnata in the UK before becoming chair of TravCorp. "We worked together for more than 10 years and stayed in touch," says Freeth. "Joining TravCorp was like putting on an old pair of comfortable slippers."
There has been precious little time to luxuriate in those comfy slippers, though. "The opportunity to acquire SHG came across our desks within my first few weeks," Freeth explains. "That changed the direction of the group and how we run the business.
"Since then, it's been about mobilising talent, reorganising the teams, positioning each of those brands and putting out clear product marketing. We entered peaks in pretty good shape. Now it's about continuing that great growth story."
'There are early signs our investment is paying off'
With about 30% of both American Holidays and Citalia's business coming from agents, and Sovereign about 15%, trade is high on Freeth's agenda. "The early signs are very positive," he says.
"We've seen lots of new agents who haven't booked with us in the past, and lots coming back owing to what the team are doing. They're going to be visiting about 1,000 agents during peaks – lots of coffee mornings, incentives and other exciting things."
While he's broadly channel agnostic, Freeth is keen for American Holidays – which sells well through the trade in Ireland – to do more business with agents in England, Wales and Scotland.
Sovereign, meanwhile, is already starting to benefit from TravCorp's investment in trade. "It's a brand that's been around for an awful long time, but only a small part of its business came through the trade. We're already seeing that creep up."
(Credit: Specialist Holidays Group)
Freeth believes Turner's appointment will help SHG "double down on communications", working as part of a wider marketing team. Her primary role, says Freeth, will be communicating with agents – including through its trade Facebook group, which has more than 5,000 members.
"In terms of how our business is split, I don't have a target in mind – we ultimately want to grow both channels [trade and direct]," Freeth insists. "What we have done is demonstrate to the trade that we are keen for that [channel] to grow.
"We've invested in that trade team, as well as our products, services and technology, with a view to trade growing at a pace that keeps up with our investment. You don't invest in a load of people to stand still. We'll be seeking a return on that investment.
"The early signs are that that investment is starting to pay off. There are lots of new travel agents calling us, and lots of new bookings coming from agents that haven't worked with us."
And while Freeth doesn't have any immediate plans to grow the team any further, he highlights TravCorp's agility, saying: "If someone taps on our door and says, 'look, I'm out of work and I think I can bring a load of value', we'll look at it."
'We'll be engaging with agents on our tech journey'
Technology is another key focus for TravCorp. Chief technology officer Stuart Hammonds is spearheading a 12- to 18-month project to bring everything, and everyone, within TravCorp onto one platform. "We're on a critical path with that integration," says Freeth.
While he rules out bringing TravCorp direct-sell brand Destination2 to the trade, he insists agents will feel the benefits of SHG being part of a group with a direct-sell operation. "Where agents gain is from the greater scale we have from a purchasing perspective," Freeth continues.
This works the other way too. "SHG's brands are complementary to what we were already doing," Freeth explains. "Pre-acquisition, we didn't really sell the US. So American Holidays is a beautiful fit. We didn't sell Italy, so Citalia was complementary too.
"It was the same with Sovereign. We were already strong going east with Destination2 to Dubai, the Indian Ocean, Thailand – the Caribbean is growing too – whereas Sovereign is very strong in short-haul luxury with high booking values and high repeats."
He continues: "What we now have is a centralised product and purchasing team so we can bring things to the trade that way. We recently added another 45 properties to Sovereign's portfolio, which have been centrally contracted. Of course, we have our specialists like Heather Green at Citalia, who has been with the business for 33 years. We're not going to mess with any of that.
"Ultimately, we want to load the product and content and have everyone selling off one system – and to have that power the frontend too, whether that's the trade sites for the three SHG brands or the direct-to-consumer sites. One CMS running everything."
This integration will bring further benefits for agents. "We'll be giving them access to product online," Freeth confirms. "We currently do this for Citalia and Sovereign but not for American Holidays just yet. We're improving the online experience for agents so they can get quick access to the product. And we'll be engaging with agents on that tech journey."
'There will always be a place for travel agents'
Freeth clearly admires the SHG brands; he respects their heritage and believes in their potential, especially when sold through the right agents. "We want to work with people we can trust to deliver our products and services to their customers," he says. "With travel agents, we want to be those brands that jump to agents' minds when a customer walks in asking for a destination we serve or product we offer.
"We've got to earn that trust and respect. We've got to do the right thing, have talented, knowledgeable people at the end of the phone, and deliver great holiday experiences so those customers go back to their agents. It's not just about being easy to work with."
He's also conscious these are specialist brands offering products that must be backed up with the requisite expertise. "Some of what we offer isn't particularly easy to do yourself," he continues. "Tours of the Deep South, twin- and triple-centres in Italy – we can really support agents with those. Our people lived and breathe these destinations. Their knowledge is exceptional.
"So when agents recommend us, they know the product is going to be right, the price competitive and the support there if something goes sideways. Our supplier relationships go back decades – the hotel partners and DMCs. They fall over themselves to help our customers and they're proud to work with our brands. We need to leverage that more."
Freeth reveals SHG's percentage of sales calls answered "is in the high 90s". It's a simple observation from someone who understands what matters to agents – and continues to believe in their vitality. "We [TravCorp] didn't sell through the trade, which has been a big part of my career. It's something I know and believe there will always been space for.
"People talk about tech and agentic AI, but there will always be a cohort of customers that still want to walk into a travel agency or speak to a homeworker."
