Coach break specialist Leger Holidays has confirmed that it is doubling staff in its retail sales department, and has appointed merchandising company, The Network, to further enhance trade sales activity.
It marks a major investment for the company which has shaken up marketing and sales activity to focus more of its budget engaging with a broader base of travel agents in a more personal manner.
Peter Raynor, Leger Holidays’ retail sales director, said that the company was investing heavily in ensuring communication with travel agents was more effective by reconfiguring its sales team to meet agents’ needs.
He said: “We are recruiting two new sales managers in the south – a retail sales manager and an area sales manager to support that person – and they will focus on our top two tiers of agents.
“Tier one represents our top 210 travel agents and the retail sales manager will look after these, plus the smaller multiples at head office level and regional or area managers of bigger multiples.
“Tier two represents another 450 agents, and the area sales manager, when appointed, will focus on this group. In addition we will be strengthening our telesales team in Yorkshire with the addition of two more staff. This will mean we have four people dedicated to supporting our teams on the road.”
The announcement comes on the back of earlier strengthening of the Leger team – in the last month the company has announced three new senior appointments.
A new general manager of product development role was created and filled by Neil Sabey who has ten years’ experience at Wallace Arnold; Lisa Coulby was appointed as customer relations manager from Midland Mainline where she coordinated 14 customer relations staff; while the third in the trio was former Disney man Marco Mori who was drafted in to run Leger’s growing Disney offering.
Product is a key focus for the next 12 month as Leger looks to build on the success of its Battlefield, Christmas Markets and Disneyland Resort Paris holidays.
Mr Raynor added: “We are the UK’s largest provider of European battlefield holidays, one of the leading operators for Disneyland Resort Paris, and we are looking at other specialisms for the future.
“We are not just looking for growth from existing sector-savvy travellers, we are confident of tapping into customers who have yet to experience Leger Holidays, a coaching holiday, or one of our other specialist breaks.”
Meanwhile, Leger Holidays also confirmed that it had appointed The Network, a merchandising and field marketing agency, on a 12-month contract to conduct one-to-one interviews with travel agents across the UK.
Mr Raynor confirmed: “The Network’s remit covers a number of elements including introducing our new products, brochure checking and fulfilment, and carrying market research.
“The data gathered and the face-to-face contact will not only raise and maintain Leger’s profile around the UK, but will also help us gain a great deal more incite into how we can support agents better.
“The Network will be conducting around 2,000 interviews each cycle, the first of which has just been completed.”
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