Mobility retailer Ableworld ensures staff can get away this Autumn following Thomas Cook collapse
Ableworld, the UK’s largest mobility retailer with 35 branches, has confirmed that it will ensure all of its employees adversely affected by the end of travel giant Thomas Cook will still be able to go on their holidays by committing to providing financial support.
The 178-year-old tour operator ceased trading and entered compulsory liquidation on the 23rd September, putting 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide, as well as disrupting the travel plans of 155,000 estimated tourists due to fly back to the UK and thousands due to fly out.
Ableworld says that whilst ATOL protected customers will be reimbursed eventually, this does not help those that have imminent holidays book which may have to cancel or incur further additional costs to secure another holiday.
This additional financial burden adds to the devastation and disappointment facing those who have been affected, stated the mobility retailer, compounded with people not wanting to let down friends and/or family, especially children excited for their holidays.
The Directors of Ableworld has declared that it will provide financial support to any of its staff that have been directly affected by the collapse of Thomas Cook, allowing staff to book another without worrying about the short-term financial implications.
Discussing the decision, Mike Williams, Managing Director of Ableworld, commented: “These uncertain times has resulted in a major shock with the news from Thomas Cook. Our thoughts go out to the thousands of people who have lost their jobs as a result of the companies collapse.
“Unfortunately, we have a number of staff members are included in the thousands of people whose holidays have been cancelled and we wanted to try and help them as much as we can. The Ableworld Board has agreed to set a fund aside to help our employees re-book holidays to make sure they can still have a holiday and much deserved rest this Autumn.”
The national mobility retailer is the first company in the industry to make such a commitment public and it follows a record year of sales for Ableworld, as well as a pending SAP system investment of £500,000.
