Clarity is provided as Co-operative Travel breaks from mutual

A former part of the Co-operative Group has been rebranded in a decisive break with the troubled mutual.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Mar 2015, 13:00 BST

Co-operative Travel Management has been relaunched as Clarity Travel Management, with its new owners putting £500,000 into the firm to upgrade its technology and software.

The firm, which employs 230 staff, was bought by Middle Eastern based Mawasem Travel & Tourism for £13.5m last May. The business was a joint venture, 33.5 per cent owned by the Co-op and the Midlands Co-operative Group with the rest held by travel firm Thomas Cook.

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The Manchester-based firm, which counts construction firm AMEY, Macmillan Cancer Care and the NSPCC as clients, said its new ‘go2’ software will allow it to track the business people who use its services.

Clarity chief executive Pat McDonagh said: “The world can be a dangerous place and if a problem does occur, like the Paris terrorist attacks, a chief executive needs to know instantly if he has any people in that location. That is what our go2 track tool provides.”

The business, which turned over £130m last year, was launched in 2006 and has been run as a joint venture with Thomas Cook since 2011.

Mr McDonagh added: “Clarity will have many similarities to the Co-op, we are a co-operative business at our core and will always be people focused.

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“However, this is a great opportunity to do things differently.

“Heritage isn’t what wins you new business and makes clients want to work with you. It’s about having the best tech, the best pricing and the best people. We have invested heavily to improve our proposition and be the best at what we do in preparation for the launch of the new brand.

“With Clarity, we are providing a clear service to clients, clear on costing and everything we do.

“Clients know they can trust us.”

Former Asda boss Allan Leighton was appointed as chairman of the Co-op in February to oversee the rebuilding of the business.

The group suffered the worst crisis in its 150-year history in 2013 as it notched up a staggering £2.5bn annual loss after being dragged down by the near-collapse of its banking arm.