Spanish company takes over 62 of Thomas Cook Belgium’s travel agent shop
The official receivers that are dealing with the sale of Thomas Cook Retail Belgium’s assets have found a buyer for 62 of Thomas Cook Retail Belgium’s 91 travel agency shops. The buyer is the Spanish tour operator Wamos Group. The company is to set up Wamos Group and will re-employ 200 of the 500 people that worked for Thomas Cook Retail Belgium.
The receiver speeks of “success that has exceeded expectations” that two-thirds of the travel agency stores have been saved. The unions hope that those re-employed by Wamos Group will enjoy the same pay and conditions as they did when they worked for Thomas Cook. Wamos hopes to re-open the shops sometime next week.
The takeover comes two weeks after Thomas Cook Belgium was declared bankrupt as it was unable to find funds to pay its staff’s wages for September.
Now an agreement has been reached with the Spanish travel company Wamos Group to take over 62 Neckermann’s travel agencies across Belgium. The remaining 29 retail outlets have not been sold. The shops will continue to operate under the Neckermann name. The travel agencies will become part of Wamos Benelux. 200 of Thomas Cook Retail Belgium’s 500 staff will be reemployed. Wamos Group is mainly activbe in Spain and Portugal and has its own airline Wamos Air. No details have yet been given about which Neckermann stores will reopen.
Thomas Cook Retail Belgium employed around 500 people, 350 of whom in Flanders.