Thomas Cook Group

Harriet Green ( CEO)
Frank Meysman ( Chairman )
Michael Healey (CFO )

The Thomas Cook Group plc is a listed tourism group with headquarters in London.

History

Company Formation

Thomas Cook was born on November 22, 1808 in Melbourne, Derbyshire. The Baptist preacher and publisher Christian writings organized in July 1841 for 500 travelers a train ride from Leicester to Loughborough for a Abstinenzlertreffen. The aim of the trip was the meeting of members of various temperance societies.

Thomas Cook organized in 1845 the first trips to Liverpool and in 1855 the first European tour for British tourists and thus began the era of mass tourism. She led via Brussels, Cologne, Heidelberg, Baden -Baden, Strasbourg and Paris back over Le Havre or Dieppe to London. His son, John Mason Cook ( 1834) occurred in 1864 in his father's business in 1866 and supervised the first trip to America. 1868, Thomas Cook hotel voucher one, an important tool of the package.

1869, the first Thomas Cook Nile cruise was offered with a steamer. More tours this year led to Palestine and the opening of the Suez Canal. In the coming years, the company established its own travel agencies in Brussels, Cologne, Paris and Vienna. The company " Thomas Cook & Son " was founded in 1871 - John Mason Cook was an official partner. Due to the large demand for organized boat trips through the Suez Canal to the east, Thomas Cook opened the first office in Cairo in 1872. The first trip around the world, with 40,000 kilometers are covered, began on 26 September 1872 in Liverpool and lasted 222 days.

Thomas Cook invented in 1874 another important element for tourism. In New York, Thomas Cook's travel letter of credit, a forerunner of the modern traveler's checks, introduced. John Mason Cook sat on internationalization of the family business: he drove from 1879 editions of "The Excursionist " - a kind offer newspaper, which was founded in 1851 by his father - even overseas. He informed customers in France, Germany, India, Australia, Asia, America and the Middle East via its offerings. Thomas Cook retired in the same year, out of business. His son was the sole managing partner of the company.

Thomas Cook died on 18 July 1892, at the age of 83 years. 1899 died John Mason Cook. After his death, his sons, Frank Henry, Thomas Albert and Ernest Edward took over the company.

World leader Thomas Cook and Son

In 1900, Thomas Cook and Son worldwide market leader in the travel industry. 1919, the company produced the first flight tickets.

Frank Henry and Ernest Edward sold the company in 1928 at the only international competition: the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons- Lits et des Grands Express Européens, Paris and Brussels.

After the Second World War, Thomas Cook & Son 1948 part of the National Railway British Railways under the British Transport Holding Company. The company came in 1972 by a consortium of Midland Bank Trust House Forte and the Automobile Association back into private ownership. In 1977, the Midland Bank, the sole owner of Thomas Cook & Son Thomas Cook was acquired in 1990 currency trading Deak International Inc. and became the world's biggest currency trader.

1992 took over the West German Landesbank (WestLB ), and the LTU Thomas Cook. Two years later, the company bought the company Inter Services Ltd. , The Travellers Cheques subsidiary of Barclays Bank, and was the world's largest provider of travelers checks outside the United States. The Corporate Travel Services was sold to American Express. 1995 bought WestLB on the 10 -percent stake in Thomas Cook LTU and thus made the company to its 100 per cent subsidiary.

In the same year, the opening of the Thomas Cook website took place on the Internet. Thomas Cook was the first British tourism group, the travel, travelers checks, foreign currency, travel guide and seat requests for flights on the internet offering. 1996 acquired Thomas Cook Sunworld, the fifth largest short trips provider in the UK and Ireland and Time Off, the specialist for European city breaks, Sunworld turn bought 1998 Flying Colours Leisure Group, including the Flying Colours airline and the brands Sunset and Club 18-30.

The " Global Services " was established, allowing the company to tourists and business travelers offering comprehensive service packages for traveling all over the world. In 1999, the brand JMC ( John Mason Cook) was founded. JMC included the brands Sunworld, Sunset, Flying Colours, Inspiration and Caledonian Airways and was henceforth the third largest British travel and airline. Preussag AG bought the same year 24.9 per cent of Thomas Cook shares. The European Union agreed to the merger of Thomas Cook and Carlson Companies Inc. ( the British part of the travel business of Carlson Leisure Group ).

In 2001, the travel company Thomas Cook Holdings Ltd. was. of the C & N Touristic AG (now Thomas Cook AG) acquired.

Neckermann Travel

Josef Neckermann expanded the range of his mail order company Neckermann Versand KG 1962 to " holidays for everyone". For this project, he offered in 1963 in collaboration with the Swiss holiday corporate hotel plan in 1963 for the first time on air travel. The first brochure, a six- page brochure, published as a supplement to the mail order catalog. To further expand the travel division, two years later he founded under the name and Neckermann Reisen GmbH & Co ( ONLY ) a subsidiary.

1976/77 took over Karstadt AG has a majority holding the battered Neckermann Group including the area of tourism with the ONLY. In turn this will shortly which also bought up tourism enterprises GOOD travel, which was founded in 1969 by the German trade unions and the Bank for Social Economy ( BfG ), incorporated. The ONLY travel are sold from now on also on the Karstadt department stores. 1978/79 was the ONLY German market leader for long distance travel: Around 21,000 guests travel to the Far East. In Belgium, in the same year the subsidiary " Neckermann Vliegreizen " was founded.

1981, Karstadt AG ONLY took over all and 1982/83 was to create a new corporate identity from Neckermann Travel and the new umbrella brand " NUR Touristic ". The NUR Touristic began a multi-brand concept. In winter 1983/84 is the new brand " Terramar " their first catalog out. 1984/85 sold " NUR Touristic " their foreign participation " Neckermann Austria ". 1986/87 the NUR Touristic decided the best year of their company's history: the number of guests to grow by 17.5 per cent to over one million, the turnover is 1.43 billion marks.

In the anniversary year of 1988/ 89, the NUR Touristic presented at the first press conference in the Neckermann - still existing - the German Democratic Republic the first special catalog " for travel agents in the GDR" before. In the first year of the reunification in 1990, opened the ONLY fourteen -owned travel agencies in the new federal states.

In October 1990 the foundation stone for the new ONLY headquarters in Oberursel took place in the Taunus, which was inaugurated on 15 May 1992. The ONLY participated in 1991 at Neckermann Austria - from the Swiss Kuoni Group 49 percent of the company to be acquired. In the same year it acquired the German organizers Pan Travel and Belgium's largest air travel organizers ' Sunsnacks ".

The ONLY acquires 1994 another German tour operators, Bucher Reisen GmbH. ONLY 1995 had increased the number of its guests worldwide to 3.4 million and its sales to 3.51 billion marks. The NUR Touristic took over all Air, the Belgian market leader for car trips and winter sports, and is the biggest tour operator on the Belgian market. Holiday country, the new franchise travel agency brand ONLY is founded. The number of customers ONLY during the fiscal year 1995 the world - rose to 3.95 million - with a turnover of 4.09 billion marks.

1996 extended the ONLY their business in Eastern Europe: " Neckermann Polska " is founded. At the end of a successful fiscal 1996, the ONLY transported 4.89 million visitors and a turnover of 4.85 billion marks recorded.

1997/98, the company has been integrated into a newly created tourism group - C & N Touristic AG.

C & N Touristic since 1997

Lufthansa and Karstadt decided in 1997, to continue to pool their tourism activities in a joint holding. For this purpose, the C & N Touristic AG founded the two companies as of November 1 (now Thomas Cook AG). With the merger of the NUR Touristic GmbH and Condor Flugdienst the basis for an integrated tourism group with a European format was created. Both shareholders held a 50 percent stake in the company. The ONLY tourist was among 90 % of C & N Touristic and 10% directly to the Karstadt AG, as well as the Condor, to that of the C & N Touristic and 10% belonged to 90% directly to Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The C & N Touristic AG covered the value chain tour operators, flight, distribution, hotels and service agencies and is in direct competition with the TUI.

Stefan Pichler, previously Sales Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, was appointed in 1998 as a spokesman for the board of the tourism group. More board member was Willi shopping. In July 2000, the Group acquired the tourist area of the travel company Havas Voyages, France, and was the first fully integrated European tourism group with presence in the French market. The tourist area of Havas Voyages was with a market share of over 20 percent market leader in France. At the end of the financial year 1999/2000, the newly created tourism group drew its first positive results: 10.9 million guests traveling up the trademarks of C & N Touristic AG - the turnover is 9.7 billion marks.

The following year, the C & N Touristic took over the British travel company Thomas Cook Holdings and the second largest tourism group in Europe and number three was worldwide. From C & N Touristic AG, Thomas Cook was: In view of a pan- European installation of the tourism group C & N Touristic AG end of June 2001 changed its name to Thomas Cook AG. The Board of Thomas Cook AG Stefan Pichler formed as Chairman of the Board and Peter Fankhauser and Alan Stewart as members of the board.

In December 2001, the airline Thomas Cook Belgium Airlines was founded as a 100 percent subsidiary of Thomas Cook AG. The Thomas Cook AG looked at the end of the financial year 2000/2001 back on a successful year for tourism. A total of 14.1 million customers booked their trip with trademarks of Thomas Cook AG. The Group posted sales of 7.9 billion euros.

2002 Thomas Cook was the first consistently international tourism brand. This goal is the second largest leisure travel group in Europe had put in the development of its international brand strategy. The Thomas Cook brand - so far as the company name as well as in sales and service range used was used in future in all markets and at all levels of the tourism value chain. This meant that Thomas Cook has also been introduced in Germany as an organizer and charter airlines were with a new design to the image carrier.

The headquarters of the former NUR Touristic GmbH in Oberursel today is both the seat of Thomas Cook AG and the tour operator TC Touristik GmbH, in which Thomas Cook has a 90 per cent and the Karstadt Quelle, 10 percent.

In September 2005, 75.1 percent of the shares are sold at the aldiana GmbH to the Spanish group Grupo Santana Cazorla.

Since July 2006, Thomas Cook AG is the official travel partner of the English football champion Chelsea.

In December 2006, Lufthansa and Karstadt Quelle have signed a memorandum of understanding under which the Lufthansa Group will own its 50 percent stake in Thomas Cook to KarstadtQuelle at a purchase price of around 800 million euros. At the same time it has been agreed that the capital share of the Lufthansa Group in Condor will increase from 10 to 24.9 percent and the Lufthansa Group also get the proportions of the Condor on the Turkish charter airline Sun Express. Karstadt Quelle may, after the expiration of two years after the closing of the purchase agreement the 24.9 percent share of the Lufthansa Group to take over Condor (call option ). In return, the Lufthansa Group has a put option to the equity share of Karstadt Quelle ( 75.1 percent). If both companies do not use their options, the Lufthansa Group is entitled to a right of first refusal on the Thomas Cook shares in Condor.

With this scheme, the proportion takeoff and landing rights ( slots) of Condor to be secured outside Europe, in particular for the Lufthansa Group and a buy up by foreign investors are initially avoided. The takeover has officially taken place on 9 February 2007.

In March 2007 Thomas Cook separated from her Thai daughter " Thomas Cook Thailand ". The former managing director Thomas Maurer has taken over the shares.

Acquisition of MyTravel

In February 2007, Karstadt Quelle announced that the British tour operator MyTravel Group adopted and integrated into the tourism group Thomas Cook. The Thomas Cook plc is to have its headquarters in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE). Here are 52 percent of the Karstadt Quelle AG and 48 percent of the MyTravel Group are held. Since the takeover of MyTravel, the tourism division of the largest business unit of Karstadt Quelle was, at the same time it was renamed the holding company Karstadt Quelle to Arcandor.

Mid-March 2009 took over the new CEO of Arcandor, Karl -Gerhard Eick, also chairs the Supervisory Board at Thomas Cook Group, he was replaced in the course of the insolvency of Arcandor in September 2009 by his former deputy, Michael Beckett. CEO of Thomas Cook AG in Germany is Peter Fankhauser.

Sale of a majority stake by Arcandor

In spring 2009, Arcandor AG had taken out loans of approximately 1.5 billion euros, of which end of August 2009 were still open 940 million euros. A consortium of banks from BayernLB, Commerzbank and Royal Bank of Scotland has therefore sold on the London Stock Exchange its about 376 million shares on 10 September 2009. The pledged participation of 43.9 percent was sold for 240 pence per share for a total of 1.03 billion euros in a few hours mainly to institutional investors.

Since 2010

In July 2010 it was announced that Thomas Cook will take over the Turkey specialist Oger Tours for around 30 million euros. Oger Tours has promoted 2009 400.000 passengers a year and made a profit of 7.3 million euros on sales of 256 million euros. The divisions Öger Türk Tur and Holiday Schedule in Turkey remain in possession of the founder and entrepreneur, Vural Oger.

In July 2011 it was announced that the Thomas Cook Group acquires majority stake in VAO Intourist in the Russian travel market. VAO Intourist is the oldest travel providers in Russia, 650,000 people traveled in 2009 with VAO Intourist.

Thomas Cook bought in August 2011, the tour Vital GmbH. The two companies cooperated since 2009 with each other. Are offered vacation packages with a medical escort.

2013, the company established a so-called Social Media Listening Lab. Similar to the " Dell Command Center " monitor specially trained staff every post, tweet, blog post, and reviews on the net, which has to do with Thomas Cook.

Shareholder

The shares of Thomas Cook are traded on the London Stock Exchange. In October 2011, the following major shareholders can be determined:

8.96 % - Lloyds Banking Group
5.15% - Invesco
4.99% - Blackrock
4.80% - Axa
4.65% - Massachusetts Financial Services Company
4.14% - Standard Life
3.04% - Legal & General

Thomas Cook Airlines (Overview)
Condor flight service
MyTravel Airways

Types of business entity International Securities Identification Number Package tour Baden-Baden LTU International Oberursel (Taunus) Landing slot The Royal Bank of Scotland Reuters

396863