National Express Group has announced a new customer-facing brand for its leisure division. Richard Sharman charts the journey of the group’s coaching divisions up to the formation of the new brand and beyond
On Monday 9 January, National Express launched a new customer-facing brand for its leisure division which it says will give holiday makers more choice. Short breaks and special-interest day trips across the UK and Europe are now available from its new Touromo brand, which brings together National Express’ seven local coach brands and their decades of proud heritage and expertise to provide what the operator says will be a best-in-class coach holiday experience under a single name.
Heritage brands
[wlm_nonmember][…]By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
The National Express Group is no stranger to coach operations beyond the realms of its iconic white coaches that pound the motorways. The journey to acquiring coach companies that provide a variety of functions across its business, such as team coaches, commuter coaches and private hire, really started in the late 2000s when the Kings Ferry Group was acquired in November 2007. Just under a decade later the firm went on to acquire Clarkes of London in December 2016.
But the formation of the Touromo brand this month is the culmination of two coach group acquisitions over a the last four years. In September 2018 the Kings Ferry Group acquired the Stewarts Coaches Group. The Reading-based group came with five subsidiaries; Stewarts Coaches, Stewarts Tours, Woods Coaches and Woods Tours. Stewarts and Leicester-based Woods provide a diverse range of transport options for both private and corporate clients and had built up their reputations on providing quality services. Both Stewarts and Woods provided day trips and holidays to many locations in the United Kingdom and areas of Europe.
In March 2020, a second significant acquisition in the leisure market was the purchase of the South Coast’s largest coach operator Lucketts Group, adding some 350 staff and 160 vehicles. As well as operating scheduled services on behalf of National Express, the previously family-owned business provides private hire, chartered holiday and day trip services to tens of thousands of customers every year. The Lucketts Group includes Lucketts Travel, Coliseum Coaches, Mortons Travel, Solent Coaches and Worthing Coaches.
At the time of the acquisition National Express Group set out its reasoning behind the purchase: “This acquisition provides National Express with a platform for further growth in the private hire, coach tours and corporate shuttle markets, as well as strengthening our network operations in southern England,” the firm said.
National Express Leisure
In August 2021 National Express announced the creation of a new business focusing on the UK holiday and leisure travel market. National Express Leisure was formed to bring Lucketts Travel, its various coach holiday sub-brands and Woods Tours together.
The plan was to consolidate the skills and experience of different teams from across the business with operations in both Fareham and Birmingham. As part of the plan, new roles were formed in marketing, sales, product development, management and distribution. Investment was also made in public-facing marketing and digital capabilities.
Tom Stables, CEO of National Express UK and Germany, said: “We already have significant experience in offering travel in the UK, whether it’s a build your own package with Holidays by National Express, a coach holiday or day trip. There is a lot more opportunity in this market which we believe we can best tap into by building on our work with existing partners as one business being managed by a single expert team.”
New customer-facing brand
The new Touromo brand on vehicles and drivers uniforms will start to appear out on the road from this month. The investment in rebranding also includes a multi-channel marketing and advertising campaign with direct mail, social media adverts and a TV commercial.
Introducing the Touromo brand on the new website, Head of Leisure at National Express Helen Smyth says: “Touromo is a brand new name in coach holidays built on decades of expertise and success in the industry. We bring together the brilliance of seven coach holiday businesses from across the UK, with the backing of National Express, to offer high quality, hassle-free holidays you can trust.
“We are a forward-thinking business, built on the values of inclusivity and striving towards sustainability. You will sense this from the moment you step on board our modern coaches or speak to any member of our brilliant team.
“At the same time, we know from experience what makes a great holiday: ease, quality, comfort and relaxation. We offer all this, and more, so that you have the time to savour the sights, enjoy good company and make more lasting memories.
“On our new website, you will discover our wonderfully wide range of great value UK and European breaks. Each one is carefully designed by our travel experts to offer a wonderful experience, every step of the way. Whether you want to visit stunning coastlines, explore historic cities or simply enjoy the comforts of our hand-picked hotels, we’ve taken care of it all for you.
“Now, here’s the hard part – selecting your next adventure. Whichever one you choose, I’m sure you will enjoy it.”
With the promise of hundreds of short breaks and day trips departing from across the Midlands and across the south of England, Touromo says each coach holiday is ‘carefully designed by a team of travel experts with convenience and complete relaxation in mind’ and offers home pick-up in certain areas. Customers are promised the ‘highest standards of service and comfort on board, with reclining leather seats and ample legroom, air-conditioning, free wifi and USB charging.’
John Boughton, the new Managing Director of Touromo, said: “We have ambitious plans to become a major player in the UK coach holiday sector and the creation of Touromo means we can operate on a national scale. There is a strong demand for holidays and day trips and we know that customers are looking for more choice in the way they can travel but don’t want to compromise on quality or comfort. Touromo will allow us to enhance the breadth of our offering while still giving travellers the assurance of the great holiday experience you get from a trusted and experienced leisure travel provider.”
In addition to the National Express launch, Bennetts Coaches of Gloucester also announced via its social media channels on 9 January that it would be working in partnership with Touromo.
Pick-ups and private hires
For coach holidays, Touromo will be offering a door-to-door service across a wide operating area stretching from Hampshire and Kent in the south up to Oxford, the Midlands and into Gloucestershire and Milton Keynes. The firm plans that most pick-ups for its holidays and tours will be by people carrier driven by its own drivers, though a taxi or similar might sometimes be used according to demand to take passengers to the coach pick-up point; that service will not be offered for day trips.
National Express confirmed that its existing coach brands such as Lucketts and its various local coaching names on the South Coast, as well as Stewarts and Woods will still be retained, alongside Kings Ferry and Clarkes of London for the operations of National Express Transport Solutions (NETS) division.
Formed in July 2020, NETS initially focused on private hire bookings as well as commercial contracts such as employee and university shuttle services, sports teams and supporters clubs. The business then expanded its offering of VIP transport, and operates via a UK-wide regional infrastructure utilising both its own fleets and depots as well as partner operators, supported by common central functions.
Explaining more about NETS at the time of its launch in 2020, Managing Director Tom Stables said: “The current UK coach market is fragmented with lots of local offerings from often small, independent family run businesses. The Kings Ferry and Lucketts already have a significant presence in the corporate travel sector. By forming National Express Transport Solutions, we can
leverage their joint capabilities with National Express’ strength as a recognised and trusted brand to deliver a consistent high quality UK-wide product.”
At the time of formation NETS had a combined fleet total estimated to be over 520 vehicles, with operating centres in Aldermaston, Aylesford, Burghfield, Christchurch, Dover, Fareham, Gillingham, Gosport, Hounslow, Lancing, Leicester, Lower Sydenham, Queenborough, Rochester, Southampton, Tadley and Woodley. Continuing its growth plans, in April 2022 NETS announced the addition of a new depot to further expand its UK footprint. The site in Aston in Birmingham was already being operated by sister company National Express Accessible Transport (NEAT) and was incorporated into NETS West Midlands to provide coach and minibus hire in the region. The depot is home to a fleet of Euro VI coaches and minibuses offering both corporate and private hire services.
With expansion on multiple fronts, 2023 looks set to be an interesting and busy year for the National Express Group’s Touromo and National Express Transport Solutions divisions.
[/wlm_ismember]