News
easyJet holidays
now available
through Hays Travel
Hays Travel has teamed up with
easyJet holidays in an ambitious
initiative to revive a travel industry
devastated by the impacts of the Covid-19
crisis.
In a new development, easyJet holidays,
previously only available online, can now be
booked in Hays Travel stores.
The new holidays are on sale through
to the end of 2021, and offer a range of
holidays, from self-catering to all-inclusive
and from city breaks to family getaways, with
flexible durations.
Like all Hays Travel package holidays,
easyJet holidays are fully ATOL-protected
and customers can pay monthly by direct
debit to spread the cost of their holiday, with
a low deposit of £60 per person.
In addition, 23kg of hand luggage and
resort transfers are included free.
Hays Travel branches, Hays Travel
Independence Group and the company’s
Homeworking Division are among a handful
of independent travel agents who have
become the first partners of easyJet’s new
holiday company.
As well as around 650 shops around the
UK and customer service centres, Hays
Travel runs its independence group of
almost 200 smaller independent high street
travel agencies and has 300 homeworkers
New funding programme
for construction firms
A
new business support programme has
been launched to help construction
industry firms in County Durham
win more work.
Called Construction Routes to Contract
Success, it will run for two years and is
targeting SMEs in the sector and its extensive
supply chain.
The programme has been commissioned
by Business Durham’s Durham Business
Opportunities Programme (DBOP) and
funded through the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF)
It will offer tailored support to firms
through a number of events and initiatives
with a focus on helping companies sharpen
their approach to bidding for new contracts
and winning new sales orders.
It launched at the end of July with a virtual
event and 27 businesses have already signed
running their own travel business.
Managing director John Hays, who
fronted the first edition of Wear Business
magazine, said: “Our colleagues across our
Independence Group and Homeworking
have all been fully trained on the new
holidays we can now offer and are all set
to go.
“This is fantastic news for our
customers who will have even more choice
– and for the whole travel industry.
“It’s great to see the commitment from
easyJet holidays to the independent travel
trade and the high street.”
Hays Travel is the UK’s largest
independent travel agent and has operated
from its base in Sunderland, for 40 years.
It had an annual turnover of over £1
billion in 2018-19 and last year acquired
the former Thomas Cook retail portfolio.
up to take part.
“We are hands-on to help people
win work,” said Garry Stone, managing
director of B2B North, the company which
will deliver the DBOP project managed by
Business Durham.
“The programme will run workshops,
consult with all the different representative
groups and make sure we focus on what’s
needed at the right time.
“Any business in the sector in County
Durham can get involved.”
To find out more about how to get
involved and what support is available,
head to businessdurham.co.uk or
b2bnorth.co.uk.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
DURHAM FIRM BOUGHT OUT
The market for corporate finance deals in
the North-East is showing signs of recovery,
according to a leading local corporate finance
expert who has just completed two major
transactions in the region.
Baldwins have helped Wolfgang Capital
acquire Durham-based Starkold Building
Services as part of their ‘buy and build’
expansion strategy, for an undisclosed sum,
as well as completing another major takeover
deal in the region.
£1M INVESTMENT BOOST
A County Durham ground investigation
business has secured a £1m investment
package to help support its growth ambitions.
Exploration & Testing Associates (ETA)
has established a new materials testing
laboratory at its head office in Bowburn, from
which it is working with a growing number
of clients right around the UK.
Funding for the project has been secured
through private investment, RBS and
NatWest.
INCUBATOR SUPPORT
A County Durham entrepreneur has
launched his new online business for students
and academics with support from Durham
City Incubator.
Networking platform Scientistt – founded
by Mahmudul Hassan – has already seen a
huge surge in interest for its online tool for
research students and academic research
groups and more than 30 major UK
universities have signed up.
Durham City Incubator (DCI) is a
six-month accelerator programme to help
entrepreneurs boost their businesses.
CHARITY’S £1M HELP
A Durham-based charity has awarded
£1m to help grassroots groups through the
pandemic.
County Durham Community Foundation
reached the milestone this month, after
vowing to help Durham, Darlington and Tees
Valley communities which were hit hard by
Coronavirus.
Michelle Cooper, foundation chief
executive, said: “We exist to help
communities and we’re really grateful we
have been able to award over 200 grants in
such a short time.”
The fund remains open for applications.
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