The Co-operative Travel
Travel services brand under The Co-operative Group.
Last updated October 5, 2026
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Overview
The Co-operative Travel is a travel services brand under The Co-operative Group, offering holiday, flight, and hotel booking services. Specific operational details are unknown.
History
The Co-operative movement’s travel activities began in 1905, when the Co-operative Wholesale Society opened an Excursion Department. Its purpose was to coordinate with railways, steamship operators and tour companies so that co-operative societies could obtain favorable terms for excursions. The department arranged its first overseas excursion in 1920 and published a holiday guide in the same period. By the 1950s, the CWS Travel Service had grown into one of the five largest travel agencies in Britain and was arranging air travel for co-operative societies and their members. The 2000 creation of The Co-operative Group through the merger of the Co-operative Wholesale Society and Co-operative Retail Services led to the travel operation being renamed Travelcare. In 2007, The Co-operative Group merged with United Co-operatives. The travel businesses of the two societies were brought together, combining the Manchester-based Travelcare operation with United Co-op’s Co-op Travel subsidiary. This established the basis for a larger Co-operative travel presence, although the later ownership model became more complex. In 2010, travel businesses associated with The Co-operative Group and Midlands Co-operative were selected for combination with Thomas Cook’s retail travel branches. The resulting company, TCCT Retail Limited, was structured as a joint venture in which Thomas Cook held 66.5%, The Co-operative Group held 30% and Central England Co-operative held 3.5%. Thomas Cook’s tour-operating division remained outside the transaction. The arrangement included retail branches and Future Travel Limited, a home-working business whose consultants traded as The Co-operative Personal Travel Advisors and provided booking services by telephone with extended hours. The transaction was examined by competition authorities. The Office of Fair Trading considered whether the deal should be referred for further review, and the matter proceeded through European and United Kingdom competition processes. In July 2011, the Competition Commission announced that it raised no objections. The joint venture subsequently operated travel agencies under the Co-operative and Thomas Cook identities, while also acting as an agent for licensed tour operators. During this period it was an ABTA member and held an ATOL licence. Its offer included package holidays, hotels, flights, cruises, city breaks, ski holidays, foreign exchange, travel insurance and travel-money products. The Co-operative Group later reconsidered its minority investment. In 2016 it stated that maintaining a minority stake in a travel business no longer fitted its strategy and exercised its exit option. Thomas Cook bought the shares held by The Co-operative Group and Central England Co-operative, becoming the sole owner of the joint retail network. The associated Co-operative Travel website closed in 2017, with existing bookings transferred to Thomas Cook. Shops that had been part of the joint venture were gradually rebranded as Thomas Cook during 2017 and 2018. This did not eliminate the Co-operative travel name altogether. Independent co-operatives continued to operate travel agencies using the Co-op brand. Central England Co-operative maintained separately managed branches, while Midcounties Co-operative became the largest current independent operator using the Co-op Travel identity. Midcounties operates online and through physical travel outlets from Walsall. The modern Your Co-op Travel brand is therefore best understood as a continuing co-operative retail travel brand rather than as the same corporate business as the former Thomas Cook joint venture. Its historical identity is shared across participating co-operatives, while day-to-day ownership and management depend on the particular society operating the service.
- 2018
Former joint-venture network completes progressive rebranding
[1]The Thomas Cook rebranding of affected high-street travel stores continues through 2017–18, while independent co-operatives retain the Co-op Travel name.
- 2017
Joint-venture website closes
[1]The TCCT-associated website closes and outstanding bookings are transferred to Thomas Cook.
- 2017
Rebranding of former joint-venture branches begins
[1]Branches formerly operating under the Co-operative Travel name within the Thomas Cook network begin conversion to the Thomas Cook brand.
- 2016
Thomas Cook takes full control
[1]Thomas Cook buys the Co-operative shareholders’ interests in the joint venture after The Co-operative Group decides to exit.
- 2011
Joint venture receives competition clearance
[1]The Competition Commission announces that it has no objections to the proposed travel-retail merger.
- 2010
Thomas Cook joint venture announced
[1]Co-operative travel retail businesses are combined with Thomas Cook’s retail travel branches in a majority-Thomas Cook joint venture.
- 2007
Co-operative travel operations integrated
[1]The merger of The Co-operative Group and United Co-operatives brings together Travelcare and United Co-op’s Co-op Travel subsidiary.
- 2000
Travelcare name adopted
[1]After the formation of The Co-operative Group, CWS Travel becomes known as Travelcare.
- 1950
CWS Travel Service becomes a major British agency
[1]By the 1950s, the CWS Travel Service is described as one of Britain’s five largest travel agencies and has expanded into air-travel arrangements.
- 1920
First overseas excursion and holiday guide
[1]The CWS travel operation arranges its first overseas excursion and publishes its first holiday guide.
Products and positioning
A member-oriented, service-led travel agency drawing on the heritage and ethical identity of the co-operative movement, with booking support available through digital channels and physical branches.
Holiday packages
Package holidays
The travel agency arranges package holidays combining transport, accommodation and related holiday services through licensed tour operators. During the historical Thomas Cook joint-venture period, flight-inclusive bookings were protected through the ATOL scheme.
Travel bookings
Flights and hotels
Customers can obtain assistance with flight and accommodation bookings, including standalone hotel reservations and travel arrangements made through high-street, telephone or online channels.
Specialist holidays
Cruises and ski holidays
The historical Co-operative Travel offer included cruise holidays and skiing trips alongside mainstream package holidays and city breaks, extending the agency’s range into specialist leisure travel.
Travel money
Foreign exchange and travel money
Foreign-exchange services were part of the brand’s historical offer. The Co-operative Travel Cash Passport was issued by Travelex, and the agency also handled related travel-money services.
Travel protection
Travel insurance
Travel insurance was offered as an ancillary service. In the historical joint-venture arrangement, policies were underwritten by White Horse Insurance Ireland.
Brand decisions
2016
The Co-operative Group exits the travel joint ventureStrategyBackground
The Co-operative Group determined that retaining a minority investment in the travel business no longer matched its strategic priorities.
Action taken
The Co-operative Group exercised its option to leave, and Thomas Cook acquired the interests held by The Co-operative Group and Central England Co-operative.
Aftermath
Thomas Cook took full control of the joint retail network and progressively replaced the Co-operative branding with Thomas Cook branding. Independent co-operatives continued to use the Co-op Travel identity separately.
2010
Combine Co-operative and Thomas Cook travel retail operationsM&ABackground
The Co-operative travel businesses sought to combine their retail branch networks with Thomas Cook’s retail travel agencies while leaving Thomas Cook’s tour-operating division outside the transaction.
Action taken
A joint venture, TCCT Retail Limited, was established with Thomas Cook holding 66.5%, The Co-operative Group 30% and Central England Co-operative 3.5%.
Aftermath
The venture operated under the two groups’ retail identities after competition authorities raised no objections in 2011.
Recent events
Co-op Travel recognised at Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards[3]
Reported:
Co-op Travel was recognised at the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards.
Sources3 sources
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