The Co-operative (CWS) opened its first excursion department way back 1905 where they began to work with railways, steamers and tour operators to get the best rates for their services. In 1920, CWS arranged its first overseas excursion and went on to publish its first holiday guide.
By the 50s, CWS Travel Service had become one of the five largest travel agents in the whole of Britain.CWS Travel evolved and became known as ‘Travelcare’ when they merged with Co-operative Retail Services in 2000, which then formed the Co-operative Group which we all know and love today.
A New Adventure
In 2016, Thomas Cook completed their buy-out of The Co-operative Group and Central England’s Co-operatives shareholding of 33.5%. Meaning that Thomas Cook is currently rebranding all of its Co-operative Travel branches to the Thomas Cook name. All existing bookings were transferred to Thomas Cook, and they needed a little hand in the new stores aesthetic.
This is where Crown Display came in…
A Joint Venture
The Co-operative Group decided that having a minority stake (33.5%) in a travel business was no longer a fitting part of their business strategy and decided they would exercise their options and quit the joint venture. This meant taking full control of the retail section and rebranding all their street travel stored which operated under the Co-operative brand to Thomas Cook.
All stores which were shown to the public and functioned as the Co-operative brand would gradually be transformed from 2017-2018 into Thomas Cook travel stores to continue services.
The rebranding includes a full new store fit-out, including fresh shop shelving and new slatwall fittings.
A Slatwall Wonder
Currently, a main work focus for Crown Display is the ongoing project where we are supplying over 400 Co-op travel shops as they set on their adventure into Thomas Cook Travel. On average, we are currently transforming 3 shops per day leading up the Christmas period.
Below is an example of just one of the stores we are fitting with new retail shelving.
The slatwall and aluminium profiles are designed specifically by the team and sent to all the new Thomas Cook travel stores. The fitters then fit the units to incorporate a TV screen, so customers can view promotional holiday experiences whilst in the shop.
A Retail Shelving Solution
Slatwall and any kind of shop and retail shelving is vital for customer experience and the overall aesthetic and functionality of the store. The team here at Crown Display are honoured to be a part of a well-known and highly reputable company and it will hopefully show our experience within larger businesses.
We look forward to seeing the progression of Thomas Cook on their adventure and we wish them all the best.
Crown Display are proud to be one of the leading suppliers and shop fitters for over a decade to many different industries. If you would like further information on how Crown Display’s slatwall services can benefit your business, we would be more than happy to supply further information. You can find the various contact details here.
