CTTG appoints Carty as head of marketing

The newly created Co-Op Travel Trading Group (MW February 27) has appointed Jane Carty to head marketing for the organisation.

CTTG is a centralised buying and marketing organisation for the five Co-Operative travel businesses. Carty is currently head of marketing at Travelcare, the largest of the Co-Op travel businesses.

One of Carty’s first tasks will be to decide which advertising agency to appoint for CTTG. Travelcare’s &£3m advertising budget is handled by AMV Advance.

Carty began working with Travelcare as a sales consultant in 1984 and has held several senior management posts. As head of marketing she played a key role in devising and implementing Travelcare’s independent “consumer champion” market positioning. She will report to CTTG chief operating officer Mike Greenacre.

The five bodies forming the CCTG are the Co-Operative Group, United Co-Operatives, Midlands Co-Op, West Midlands Co-Op and Leeds Co-Op. The combined Co-Op travel businesses are worth &£1.1bn. Together the businesses have 600 stores and claim to be the country’s largest independent holiday and travel chain.

Travelcare has just bought travel website operator Sunshare Vacations for an undisclosed sum as part of plans to boost its direct holidays business to 25 per cent of its overall sales. Sunshare owns the website cheapestflights.co.uk and reported a turnover of &£43.5m last year.

CTTH is modelled on the Co-Operative Retail Trading Group, which buys food and carries out the marketing for the whole Co-Operative movement.

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