Hays Travel has acquired Miles Morgan Travel for an undisclosed sum, taking ownership of 19 branches, promising to keep the brand in South West Europe and South Wales. At the same time, this acquisition brought the number of branches to 490.
Morgan started his career in travel as an intern at Pickfords Travel before moving into the corporate world as Thomson’s sales and marketing director. It opened its first branch of Miles Morgan Travel in 2006, and since then the small organisation has been part of the Independence Group of Hays Travel. The agency gained global recognition in 2012 when the Titanic Memorial Cruise sailed from Southampton to commemorate the centenary of the voyage.
“It was a difficult decision and of course there is an element of sadness that my travel journey has come to an end. The last part of this journey was to find the right new owner for Miles Morgan Travel. Having worked alongside the Hays Travel team for six years, I know them and, more importantly, their culture and values, so I can’t think of a better place for my business. I am particularly relieved that my team has found a good home with our partners for over 18 years. All jobs are secure and the team now have more opportunities for professional development – there will be little disruption to day-to-day activity,” Morgan said strongly.
Morgan, who has also served on Abta’s board, paid tribute to his senior management team of Mandy Shillito, Carolyn Griffiths and Zoe Stewart. He also praised “all the incredible staff” who delivered the best year in the agency’s history “once again” in the last financial year.
Miles Morgan is a travel legend for a reason; he and his brilliant team have created an outstanding business of which they can be very proud. We will always be grateful to Miles, who as a member of our group board for many years has been instrumental in the growth and success of Hays Travel.
“We are all excited about this latest acquisition and look forward to welcoming the Miles Morgan Travel team into the Hays Travel family and learning from each other. Everyone at Hays Travel wishes Miles the best of luck,” said Hays Travel President Dame Irene Hays.
