The ex-Thomas Cook top seller who became Hays Travel's biggest franchisee
Ilaria Grasso MacolaFrom the moment he met Dame Irene Hays and the late John Hays, John Stewart knew Hays Travel would be the ideal partner to allow his thriving business to aim even higher.
That meeting was in late-September 2019, a week after Thomas Cook – for whom Stewart had worked the past 30 years – collapsed, leaving thousands of agents out of work.
"My wife was in tears for days and my team were devastated,” Stewart recalls. Five years later, after moving his Cook franchise to Hays, things couldn’t be more different.
Stewart’s formative family holidays ensured he caught “the travel bug” at an early age. “Going away every year as a young child, I think I was destined to end up in the travel business,” he tells TTG.
His career started as an accountant at an independent; he went on to join Lunn Poly before landing at Thomas Cook where he quickly became Cook’s top sales consultant in Scotland.
During his 30-year Cook career, Stewart managed some of the iconic brand’s biggest and most profitable shops, including Newcastle’s Northumberland Street and Dundee.
“I loved working for Cook," he says. "We were extremely proud to work for it and we have very fond memories. It’s sad such an iconic brand could come to such an end.”
Despite the heartbreak, Stewart didn’t rest on his laurels; he chose Hays Travel to establish his franchise, citing the level of central management support available to franchisees, as well as Hays’ focus on both its customers and its employees.
"It’s a trusted brand with a family feel,” he says. “We have been supported from the start when we first opened under the Hays Travel brand – and that has continued through challenging times.
"During Covid, they encouraged us to grow our business and reward our people. They remain extremely supportive today – just like they were on day one.”
Over the past five years, Stewart’s business has grown significantly, becoming Hays Travel’s largest franchisee with three branches across Scotland.
The newest, in the Fife town of Cupar, opened in September in response to demand from locals who saw their high street agency close during the pandemic.
"The town badly needed a travel agency so it was an opportunity we had to take up,” Stewart explains. “We had members of the public coming in and thanking us for opening up."
The venture has been richly rewarded. Such was the pent-up demand in the town, the Cupar branch – Stewart reveals – did a month’s worth of business in its first week.
Stewart’s other two stores are located in Dundee – one in the affluent suburb of Broughty Ferry, the other in the city centre in the very same premises he used to manage when the Thomas Cook name was above the door.
He pins his franchise’s success on a strong service-led culture shared across all three shops, where he says clients are accustomed to staff going the extra mile.
“This seems to be key to our growth," he explains. "Customers appreciate that full, end-to-end service from the moment they book right up to the day they go away."
Stewart’s not necessarily ready to call it a day at three shops either. He tells TTG he already looking at potential locations for more – when the time is right.
"We’ve pinpointed two or three locations similar to Cupar that are in need of a travel agency,” he adds. “We will explore those opportunities when they come – we’re definitely keen to create another Cupar somewhere else."
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Ilaria Grasso Macola
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