Travel agent Tui to axe branches due to 'unprecedented pressure' of Covid
Tui branches in Suffolk and north Essex could close permanently - Credit: Archant
Branches of travel agent Tui in Suffolk and north Essex could be under threat after the firm announced plans to close 48 high street stores nationwide.
The UK's biggest tour operator said the travel industry and the high street "are both facing unprecedented pressure" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tui, which has branches in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Lowestoft, Sudbury, Colchester, Clacton and Braintree, has not revealed which stores will be axed.
However, the travel agent has confirmed the staff affected by the closures will be offered roles at other locations.
Last year, Tui warned a third of its stores would close permanently due to coronavirus lockdowns and the pandemic's impact on the travel industry.
A spokesman for the company said: "We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it's in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do.
"It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions and do our best to look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty.
Most Read
- 1 Striking new seafront café opens its doors to customers after two-year wait
- 2 Suffolk town named one of the best places to go on holiday in the UK
- 3 Four-bedroom cottage on Dunwich clifftops for sale for £295k
- 4 'It riles me to the core' - Anger as sofas dumped near Suffolk beauty spot
- 5 Forbidden Suffolk: 6 places you can't visit in the county
- 6 'The children were buzzing' - Ed Sheeran sends video to Suffolk school
- 7 A14 lane closure in Bury St Edmunds after two-car crash
- 8 Dog walker in his 70s suffers cuts and bruises after attack in west Suffolk
- 9 Travel: Stay on the UK's first floating glamping pod...in Beccles
- 10 Thunderstorm warning issued for East of England
"We believe Covid-19 has only strengthened a change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home.
"We have world class travel advisors at Tui, so we hope many of them will become homeworkers and continue to offer the personalised service we know our customers value."
