- John Appleby to manage new retail store
- Australian travel group to open store in Dawson St
- 2 years after purchase of Abbey travel subsidiary
- Same street as Trailfinders
The Australian owned Flight Centre Travel Group’s Dublin store, newly opened on Dawson Street, will be managed by John Appleby, who will also oversee the company’s expansion in the Irish market.
Flight Centre Travel Group offers across the Flight Centre brand, including its Journeys and Escapes holiday ranges and Flight Centre Business Travel.
Customers will be able to purchase flights and holidays to Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Headquartered in Australia, Flight Centre Travel Group was formed more than 30 years ago. It operates 2,500 stores in 12 countries including Britain Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States and Canada .
Flight Centre bought Travelplan Corporate from Con Horgan’s Abbey Travel in May 2014, a company with a €30m turnover. Travelplan Corporate was previously part of the FCm travel management network as a licensee and it will continue to operate as FCm Ireland and complement its business in the UK.
The group says they provide competitive travel deals with a lowest airfare guarantee from flights to holidays, hotels, car hire, tours, travel insurance, visas and more. They have dedicated first and business Class flight teams and business travel teams.
Flight Centre started in 1973 in London by Australian veterinarian surgeon Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner from Stanthorpe who bought a couple of double-decker buses in England and began a holiday travel company, Top Deck Travel. Shortly afterwards were operating 273 buses throughout Europe. The vet sold the company after he set it up and headed to Australia in 1981 and opened up the first Flight Centre in Melbourne just as as the recently deregulated airline ticketing industry commenced the sale of discounted tickets. Skroo floated the company in 1995.
David Owen General Manager for Flight Centre London said “every customer is looked after, we offer an amazing experience and I know the Irish love to travel.”
John Appleby General Manager for the Flight Centre Ireland said “flight Centre is a multi branded company. the front of the shop is the retail area and the back is the business where the travel guys work, Andy Hegley who is a great Brand Leader of Flight Centre business travel, account managers working for them. We have the support of Covermore Insurance.
Alison Zacher, Retail Managing Director, said: “Irish consumers will benefit from the global buying power and local expertise that comes from being part of an international company. Our expansion into Ireland is a natural next step for the business. The Irish travel industry is diverse, but we feel our value tailor-made product offering and experienced staff will encourage Irish consumers to look to us when booking a holiday. Our unrivalled relationships with airlines and accommodation providers ensure that we can offer Irish consumers the greatest choice when travelling to key destinations across the world. Looking strategically to the future, we hope to expand the Dublin team in the coming year and potentially open further stores in the country. The branch, located on Dawson Street, has been designed to enhance the shopping experience for consumers. It will include a number of interactive design elements, such as LCD screens and engaging displays. Customers will be greeted by one of our travel consultants, on hand to share their expert travel advice and secure the best value tailor-made itineraries.
Travel Group managing director Graham Turner said the acquisition made sound strategic sense because it was a cost-effective, profitable and low-risk entry to Ireland, which was an important hub for corporate clients and it raised the potential to open a retail travel business in Ireland to operate alongside the corporate travel business, mirroring a strategy the company had successfully adopted in Asia and the Middle East in recent years. “We know the business and its culture well, given its long-standing involvement with FCm as a licensee, and can see real opportunities to work with Travelplan’s people to expand in the years ahead and to grow bottom-line profits. In particular, we can see great potential in developing close ties between Flight Centre’s Britain and Ireland corporate travel businesses and implementing the strategies that have underpinned the company’s success in England.”
Beatrice Cosgrove from Etihad who sponsored the event said “Flight Centre are very friendly global partners and work well with Etihad.”
Phil Murray editor in chief of Flight Centre said “all you bloggers, please tweet and like our company as they are 40 likes away from a 1000.”
