THE Co-operative Group's Travelcare business has made its biggest ever single acquisition with the purchase of one of the country's largest independent flight companies for an undisclosed sum.
Sunshare Vacations, which last year reported annual sales of around £ 45 million, has a major website presence including cheapestflights.co.uk, as well as being featured on Teletext.
The company employs over 200 people in four call centres around the UK, with more than half based at the firm's headquarters in Stockport. The other three call centres are located at Doncaster, Kidderminster and Bournemouth.
The business will operate as a separate wholly owned subsidiary of Travelcare and will be run by Sunshare Vacation's existing management team headed by managing director Ken Lockley.
The move is part of Travelcare's three year strategic plan to boost its direct holiday business to 25 per cent of overall sales.
Yvonne Rankin, chief operating officer of the Co-operative Group's Specialist Retail Division, commented, `This acquisition is a major step forward for Travelcare and its strategic expansion plans. Sunshare Vacations has an excellent reputation, strong branding and an enthusiastic workforce.`
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