Bowens Travel Group collapses

[andyrigby2410]

 Bowens Travel Group collapses
Not an entire shock but I still can't believe it's happened! Apparently we are heading out of recession...hmmm!!!!!

routeONE update:

Bowen Group collapses

The Bowen Travel Group - one of the largest independent coach operators - has suffered a financial collapse.


Further details are awaited, but Administrators arrived at its head office this morning (Thursday).

Since then the company's website has been taken down and its telephones are not being answered.

The company - which also trades under the Yorks, Jeffs and Appleby brands - is reported to have run out of cash, and has a string of unpaid bills run up over the last couple of months.

[DVL418]

RE: BOWENS TARVEL GROUP COLLAPSES

(25/10/2012 18:06)andyrigby2410 Wrote:  Not an entire shock but I still can't believe it's happened! Apparently we are heading out of recession...hmmm!!!!!

routeONE update:

Bowen Group collapses

The Bowen Travel Group - one of the largest independent coach operators - has suffered a financial collapse.


Further details are awaited, but Administrators arrived at its head office this morning (Thursday).

Since then the company's website has been taken down and its telephones are not being answered.

The company - which also trades under the Yorks, Jeffs and Appleby brands - is reported to have run out of cash, and has a string of unpaid bills run up over the last couple of months.

My thoughts are with the drivers. What a time to loose ones job, just in the run-up to Christmas.

Hope the administrators can rescue something from the wreckage.

[wirralbus]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses
The Administrators will now be trying to seperate the Coach Holiday side of the business from the Travel Agency Business , its only when that is done will they be able to see which parts of the business they can save .

I also echo DVL418 in that this is not the best time to lose your job in the run up to Christmas .

[andyrigby2410]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses
Luckilly it seems that Hays Travel are able to offer existing travel staff homeworking jobs for the interim. No doubt the coach side will be mopped up by several opertors unless a surprise takeover bid comes in to try and resurrect what is left.

[DVL418]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses
Prospect of 130+ high specification coaches coming onto the second hand market is going to depress prices as well, which whilst good news for those looking to buy, will depress the resale value of operators' existing fleets.

[wirralbus]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses
I do wonder whether anybody has also thought of the Hotel companies that had bookings with the Bowen Group and how they feel today having lost a fair proportion of there revenue .

[DVL418]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses

(26/10/2012 16:33)wirralbus Wrote:  I do wonder whether anybody has also thought of the Hotel companies that had bookings with the Bowen Group and how they feel today having lost a fair proportion of there revenue .

Indeed, but at least they may be able to claw something back by offering discounted room bookings via websites like last minute.com etc.

[gilesbus1]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses
The Jeffs part of the Bowen group was rescued by an undisclosed buyer on 03/11/2012 and started operating again on 05/11/2012 with all existing contracts and staff.

Source (Coach & Bus week)

The rest of the business remains closed

[DVL418]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses

(24/11/2012 19:05)gilesbus1 Wrote:  The Jeffs part of the Bowen group was rescued by an undisclosed buyer on 03/11/2012 and started operating again on 05/11/2012 with all existing contracts and staff.

Source (Coach & Bus week)

The rest of the business remains closed

I read somewhere that King Long had purchased part of the group from the wreckage - perhaps it was the Jeffs unit?

[The H man]

RE: Bowens Travel Group collapses

(26/10/2012 15:22)DVL418 Wrote:  Prospect of 130+ high specification coaches coming onto the second hand market is going to depress prices as well, which whilst good news for those looking to buy, will depress the resale value of operators' existing fleets.

We went to the auction in Manchester to look at some of these vehicles, think there was about 30 coaches, they were all in a not so good condition, some where scrap only. What shocked me the most where the Wootens vehicles, 3 tigerline buses and one or two coaches, they were really bad which surprised me.