CRUISETHOMASCOOK TAKES TO THE HELM: Thomas Cook UK & Ireland names cruise brand and confirms its place as the UK's leading cruise retailer
Thomas Cook UK & Ireland has announced today that CruiseThomasCook will be the brand to lead the tour operator's cruise business into the future.
Following the merger of Thomas Cook and MyTravel in June, Thomas Cook UK & Ireland's portfolio included two of the leading cruise retailers today - CruiseThomasCook and The Cruise Store. In order to maximise both market position and customer offering the two businesses will now come together under the CruiseThomasCook brand taking position as the UK's largest cruise retailer.
As CruiseThomasCook, the business will not only retain and build on the expertise and knowledge gained of both brands, it will also enable the heritage associated worldwide with Thomas Cook - the original name in travel - to continue.
The company will continue to offer independent advice across on all cruise lines to customers through specially trained consultants on hand in every Thomas Cook and Going Places store, CruiseThomasCook call centres and behind the scenes at www.cruisethomascook.com.
With integration of the two brands underway, the customer's first experience of the combined business will be on December 1st 2007 when a new look www.cruisethomascook.com will launch, replacing both Cruise Thomas Cook's and The Cruise Store's former websites.
Director of Cruise Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, James Cole, said, "By combining the strengths of both The Cruise Store and Cruise Thomas Cook we have an unrivalled offering within the cruise market. We will become the UK's largest cruise retailer, and at a time when cruising numbers are at their highest we plan to build on what both brands have already achieved to become the ultimate cruise experts in the industry."
Successful initiatives such as the Cruise Academy - Cruise Thomas Cook's interactive web-based learning resource for staff - will also continue. Over the coming months, all former Cruise Store consultants will enroll, ensuring all staff have the very best knowledge of cruising within the industry.
It is also confirmed that as a result of the merger of the two businesses, The Cruise Store branch in Chester is currently under strategic review.
CruiseThomasCook is based in the company's sites of Peterborough and Accrington.
