Press release Club Med Thomas Cook 21072015


Press Release


From left to right: Henri Giscard d'Estaing, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Club Méditerranée and Peter Fankhauser, Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Cook

Club Med and Thomas Cook launch a new strategic partnership The two groups become "preferred partners" for Europe London, 21 July 2015 - Peter Fankhauser, Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Cook, and Henri Giscard d'Estaing, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Club Méditerranée, have today launched a strategic three-year partnership to cover Europe.

The new agreement will deepen the existing collaboration between both travel companies, focusing on the delivery of joint marketing activities; and evaluating possibilities for working together on transport for both short and long-haul destinations.
The strategic partnership will build on Club Med's current relationship in France with Thomas Cook, aiming to achieve €100m of product revenue through Thomas Cook's sales channels by 2018, representing a 60% growth, to attract new customers in the UK, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Club Med aims to generate strong growth by stepping up its business development in
Europe by getting access to Thomas Cook's sales channels across European markets.
The agreement is fully in line with Club Med's international development strategy, and once again demonstrates its confidence in a network renowned for its expert sales force, its excellent knowledge of the Club Med offering and its extensive European coverage with high-potential premium locations.
For Thomas Cook, the new strategic partnership aims to enhance its offering by giving its European customers access to all-inclusive, upmarket holidays and enabling it to benefit from Club Med's brand appeal and its high-profile across a wider geographic area.
Each European market will be targeted via two major development focuses, distribution and transport:
- The two partners will therefore carry out joint marketing initiatives, including creating a Club Med "digital corner" on the Thomas Cook website, setting up Club Med corners in Thomas Cook travel agencies and offering Thomas Cook employees a training program and the opportunity to attend familiarisation trips.
- The two groups are evaluating a cooperation in the area of transport on short and long haul destinations as well as on mountain destinations served by both brands.
At the launch, Club Méditerranée Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Henri Giscard d'Estaing said:

"I am delighted by the launch of this new strategic partnership today, which widens to Europe an already prolific collaboration in France, that has been existing for many years. This partnership aims to generate strong sales growth in the European countries where Thomas Cook is present, a real opportunity for both our groups."

At the launch, Thomas Cook's Chief Executive Officer Peter Fankhauser said:
"We are excited about the opportunities that this strategic partnership with Club Med will

bring. Both companies have a long and distinguished history in the travel industry and we very much look forward to driving forward our commitment to delivering high-quality holidays to greater numbers of customers in Europe."

About Thomas Cook

Thomas Cook Group plc is one of the world's leading leisure travel groups with sales of over £8.5 billion in the year ended

30 September 2014. Thomas Cook is supported by 24,000 employees and operates from 15 source markets; it is number one or two (by revenue) in all its core markets. Thomas Cook Group plc's shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange (TCG).

About Club Méditerranée

Inventor of the holiday club concept, Club Méditerranée is the world leader in friendly, upscale, multicultural all-inclusive holidays. Having completed the first phase of its upscale transition, which ran from 2004 to 2012, Club Med today operates a total of 66 Villages, two-thirds of which are premium 4T and luxury 5T Villages. The range also includes cruises on the 5- mast Club Med 2 sailing ship, and inspired luxury tours with Circuits Découverte by Club Med, while its entire offering can be tailored to professional customers thanks to Club Med Business. The latest opportunity from this continually innovative company is the chance to buy freehold Luxury Villas and Chalets alongside the Villages. The Group has operations in 26 countries across four continents and employs 13,000 GOs of 100 different nationalities.

Club Med press contacts:

Caroline Bruel, Vice President, Communications and External Relations

+33 (0)1 53 35 31 29 - caroline.bruel@clubmed.com

Julie-Marlène Pélissier, Press Relations Manager

+33 (0)1 53 35 35 08 - julie-marlène.pelissie@clubmed.com

Thomas Cook press contacts:

Mathias Brandes, Group Head of Communications

+44 207 294 7199 - mathias.brandes@thomascookag.com

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