News

TWO pilot MyTravel stores have traded ‘exceptionally well’ despite being unknown high-street brands pitted against Going Places’ biggest-ever post-Christmas campaign.

The shops in the Trafford Centre and Market Street, Manchester, both reported high sales after launching in the city without any prior advertising.

The news comes as MyTravel prepares to survey every shop to thrash out how to transform each one under the new image. All shops are due to be rebranded during October and November.

MyTravel’s other two pilot stores in Bolton and Rochdale only achieved average trading levels because they lost customers to Going Places shops round the corner.

MyTravel bosses admitted that in these cases the success of its £3 million Going Places TV campaign featuring The Royle Family’s Ricky Tomlinson had lured customers away.

UK retail distribution managing director Dave Harris said the tendency for customers to go to shops they already knew was to be expected - making  the other pilots more notable for their success.

Harris said: “Bolton and Rochdale have traded to an acceptable level but one of the differences is there are Going Places stores around the corner. The Going Places shops have done well, backed by our campaign. A lot of people drifted to Going Places and away from the MyTravel stores. It was to be expected.”

Harris admitted there had been some design flaws in the original concept stores and that the company had been forced to change the uniform style after staff rejected its first proposal.

MyTravel is now on the verge of appointing a company to survey all its existing Going Places, Travelworld and Holidayworld shops.

They have already been divided into three categories of megastores, normal, and local, which will vary in size and

facilities.

There will be fewer megastores, based in out-of-town regional shopping centres and city centres. A pilot megastore in Teesside opens this week and another will open in Norwich within a fortnight.