Travel agent spreads wings to markets outside region

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, sees the Hull-based company become sole shareholder in Mercian Travel Centre after founder and former owner John Downing, 75, decided to retire.

It said the move will open new markets for the firm in the Midlands and the south of England and bolster its existing operations in Hull and Grimsby.

It is the first time the travel company has moved beyond the region in more than 120 years of trading as part of the family-owned John Good Group.

Kevin Harrison, general manager at Good Travel Management, said the firm decided to buy the business because it has a loyal customer base and complimented the services offered by the company.

The West Midlands agency specialises in high-end leisure travel, tour operations, corporate travel and trade missions, with a particular expertise in Libya and the Middle East.

Mr Harrison said: "We are very pleased with this acquisition because Mercian Travel Centre is an extremely good business - it is a credit to John and his wife, Mary, who have run it very well for more than four decades.

"The firm has experience in a host of travel sectors similar to our own, so it is a good fit with our business.

"Its record in delivering trade missions was of particular interest because we have been increasingly specialising in this area and the acquisition strengthens our offer."

The business will continue to trade as Mercian Travel and all staff are being retained by the new owners.

Mr Harrison added that as part of a family firm, albeit a much larger company, Good Travel Management's values were closely aligned with those of Mercian Travel.

"Mercian Travel Centre's customers are used to the personal touch and a very high level of service," he said.

"We fully intend to retain that in the business."

Mr Downing, who started the business in 1970, said he had spent two years searching for the right buyer for the business.

He said: "In this climate the company needs to be taken on by a larger organisation. As we have got to know Good Travel Management it became clear they were the people to purchase Mercian as they are a family business with similar values to our own.

"I am satisfied Good Travel Management is the right company to continue the work that I have started."

John Good & Sons started life as ship's chandlers in 1833, and moved into travel related services in the early 1900s.