Hays Travel to overhaul 375 branches and make major tech investments
Sarah DennisHays Travel has revealed an ambitious plan to refurbish more than 350 of its branches over the next three years following the relocation of 17 stores and refurbishment of 35 branches over the past 12 months.
The agency has also ploughed significant investment into technology, including a new WhatsApp platform.
Chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston told the company’s retail conference in Portugal significant investments had been made over the past year, centring on its retail estate, technology and people.
Woodall-Johnston announced a target to refurbish 375 of the agency’s 460 branches over the next three years, of which some may be relocations.
Three new stores are due to open by the end of this year – Leeds Briggate, Gainsborough and Newbury – adding to the roster of six opened since January 2023.
A more lucrative bonus scheme has motivated teams to outperform and be rewarded for collaboration but has also given Hays a competitive advantage. “We’ve seen a lot of new talent come to our business because of our bonus scheme and the family and the culture that we have,” Woodall-Johnston said.
Technology investments included its relaunched customer text service in September and a new Hays WhatsApp platform which Woodall-Johnston said had “seen tremendous sales”.
A Hays Travel app is planned for a spring 2024 launch, he added.
Voicing her own thoughts on technology in the industry, Dame Irene Hays had earlier highlighted the value of AI to “get the plumbing right” beyond talking about “the poetry” when selling a holiday, but firmly warned: “If there is any degree of complexity, we know people want to work with a human.”
She pointed to the emotional intelligence that is “extremely difficult” for AI to replicate. “That’s what our agents do,” she said.
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
