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A MUCH-loved high street travel agent has been forced to close its doors within days.
Ascot Travel House will shut its only branch permanently at the end of the month.
Google MapsLoyal customers have shared their sadness over the closure through poignant posts on social media[/caption]
The closure was confirmed by a shock statement released on the travel agency’s website.
It read: “Our parent company, NAR UK Ltd, has decided that our retail shop will be closing at the end of May.
“Sadly, despite best efforts to maintain a retail shop it has proved very difficult to regain the levels of business we had prior to Covid.
“Our parent company will remain trading and will continue with being bonded and protected by ABTA and ATOL.
“Should you choose to complete a booking with us before the end of May then it will be managed by our team until completion.
“We will still be accessible by both phone and email.”
Loyal customers have shared their sadness over the closure through poignant posts on social media.
One person said on Facebook: “So sorry to hear this, wishing you all the best.”
Another said: “Well done for staying independent and providing a professional service gained from decades of experience.
“A real shame.”
A third added: “So much love.”
Ascot Travel House’s closure reflects a nationwide trend, as the number of UK travel agencies has dropped by nearly 18% in the past five years.
According to Statista, there were over 4,200 travel agency shops in March 2019, but that number fell to just 3,500 by June 2023.
The struggles of UK travel firms were further highlighted recently when Jetline Holidays, a major UK-based travel agency, went bust, leaving nearly 5,000 British holidaymakers stranded.
Many of those affected had booked cruise holidays with Princess Cruises, Cunard, and Holland America, which were cancelled due to a “breach of contract.”
Some travellers were forced to pay again for their holidays or risk having their trips cancelled altogether.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued warnings to affected customers, advising them to check their flight e-tickets, as only some packages remained valid.
However, those who booked only cruises or accommodation without flights found themselves without ATOL protection, meaning they may not get their money back.
Last year, German-based tour operator FTI, which was linked to UK travel agents such as loveholidays, also went bust.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
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