HUNTER Travel Group’s (HTG) new joint venture with RACQ (TD breaking news) will see the overall business grow to transact annual sales in excess of $200m.
According to CEO Brett Dann, the deal will see HTG represented as a single business to key partners, with the banner encompassing four legal entities, 40 company owned stores/departments and a team of more than 200 staff across the country.
The partnership has seen HTG join forces with RACQ to form a new joint venture travel company called Members Travel Group, which will also integrate the travel operations of the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania (RACT), managed by HTG for the last nine years.
The nine RACT locations will join 12 RACQ outlets in Queensland as part of the 50/50 JV, and will continue to operate under their respective brands, with the overall 21 combined stores serving almost two million members in both states.
HTG also has its own portfolio of 19 fully-owned stores under the Helloworld Travel and Cruise Travel Centre brands, and will oversee the new joint venture “with the businesses leveraging their combined size across the combined 40 locations”.
RACQ Assistance CEO Glenn Toms said the deal would allow the organisation to build a stronger travel business and continue to provide innovative services to members, who will have access to “a more comprehensive suite of products and bespoke tours.
“HTG is the largest branded member of the Helloworld Travel network, which allows better buying power, more competitive pricing and larger and more consistently available offers for our members,” Toms said.
Dann said RACQ had 1.7 million members, many who like to travel, “so we want to provide them with great service and insights from our 20 years in the travel business”.
The transaction is set to be finalised on 01 Jul 2019, with a transition period effective immediately.
It is business as usual for RACQ which will maintain its existing shop front branding and current retail teams across the state.
“However there will be a new framework of enhanced systems which will make the service delivery more efficient,” Dann said.
Source: traveldaily