CTTG all set for lift-off

THE new Co-operative Travel Trading Group (CTTG) is on course for an October launch as the buying and marketing powerhouse for the UK&#039s five leading Co-op travel businesses.
Last week&#039s inaugural meeting of CTTG&#039s steering group heard of the progress being made by the group in a building a new future in travel for the five businesses ? the Co-operative Group, United Co-operatives, Midlands Co-op, West Midlands Co-op and Leeds Co-op.
CTTG will take charge of these two key business functions on behalf of over 600 travel outlets, the country&#039s largest homeworking travel distribution network and seven national call centres across the UK, which, between them, sell three million holidays annually.
Key appointments to CTTG&#039s senior management team, which is led by chief operating officer, Mike Greenacre, have already been made. They include Mike Beaumont as General Manager, Commercial, Jane Carty as Head of Marketing and Julie Nolan as Head of Commercial. Further additions to the team will be announced shortly.
Work has already begun on a wide-ranging review of travel suppliers to the five businesses and CTTG is working to have new commercial agreements in place with key suppliers by the end of September with a travel industry launch planned for the following month.
Developments on the commercial front will go hand in hand with the development and implementation of a CTTG marketing strategy, combining a strong value for money message with the "consumer champion" market positioning, already successfully implemented by Travelcare, the Co-operative Group&#039s travel business.
Yvonne Rankin (above), chief operating officer of the Co-operative Group&#039s Specialist Retail Division, who chairs CTTG&#039s Management Board, told the News: "Progress is extremely encouraging. The formation of CTTG has really brought home to the industry, the size and strength of the Co-operative Movement in the travel sector.
"CTTG is building a strong team to make the most of this golden opportunity for the Movement to carve a strong, appealing co-operative position in the travel marketplace."