Lunn Poly - Now Thomson
Lunn Poly were one of the UK's leading travel agents, with around 800 Holiday Shops throughout the UK and employing around 6,000 people. But, after more than a century, High Street travel agency Lunn Poly is losing its name. As part of a restructuring drive their German parent company TUI, the Lunn Poly name has gone and they are being rebranded into TUI's Thomson unit.The move follows TUI's recent decision to ditch its Britannia Airways brand in favour of Thomsonfly. The rebranding of Lunn Polly will be ready for the company's key holiday booking period in January 2005 and new Thomson shop signs will be replacing the Lunn Polly ones from early December 2004.
TUI has blamed changes in the way people book holidays for the recently announced job cuts in the UK. Sales of package holidays have been flat in 2004, while greater use of the internet to book holidays has put serious pressure on High Street-based travel agents. In a bid to ease that pressure TUI now wants to maximise their Thomson brand, which has been in the travel market since 1965. They want to use their High Street shops, websites and advertising to focus the customers even more on Thomson.
The origin of the Lun Poly name actually dates back to 1888, when Poly Tours was created to offer cheap holidays abroad for students at London's Regent Street Polytechnic. Five years later a rival travel company was founded by Sir Henry Lunn. The Poly and Lunn groups finally merged in 1965 before being bought by Hannover-based TUI, one of Germany's 40 largest stock market firms.
From 9 December 2004, the Lunn Poly website has been switched to Thomson's website, which also offers a wide choice of well priced holidays, combining quality of service with value for money.
Click here to visit the Thomson web site
back to top of Lunn Poly - Thomson Holidays