Editing Lunn Poly (section)

==History==
The company originated from two successful travel agencies established in the 1890s, the [[Polytechnic Touring Association]] and [[Henry Simpson Lunn|Sir Henry Lunn Travel]]. The latter an early travel innovator for winter sports trips to Switzerland and Italy, as well as religious tours to Israel.<ref>{{cite book |last= Tomlinson|first=Alan |date=2010 |title=Dictionary of Sports Studies |location=UK |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199213818}}</ref> Both firms were acquired in the 1950s by the [[British Eagle]] airline group, and combined into Lunn Poly in 1965.<ref name=travel>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/731609/Lunn-Poly-going-away-for-good.html|title=Lunn Poly going away for good|date=6 November 2004|publisher=Travel|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref>

It became a nationalised industry as part of the [[Transport Holding Company]] (THC) in 1969, a controlling stake costing £169,000.  Trading losses during the ownership were estimated at £1.2m before the sale to Sunair in 1971 for £175,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TRANSPORT HOLDING COMPANY BILL|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/nov/24/transport-holding-company-bill|publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom}}</ref> In October, Sunair and Lunn Poly operated the first [[Boeing 747]] package holiday charter flight to Majorca using a leased [[BOAC]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |title=First UK Jumbo package off to Majorca |url=https://archive.org/details/FinancialTimes1971UKEnglish/Oct%2016%201971%2C%20Financial%20Times%2C%20%2325580%2C%20UK%20%28en%29/page/n17/mode/2up?q=sunair |work =Financial Times|agency=Nikkei Inc |date=1971-10-16 |access-date=2024-11-19|ref=none}}</ref> In 1972, the company became part of [[Thomson Travel|Thomson Travel Group]].<ref name=travel/>

Lunn Poly became an early trade innovator, by splitting its leisure and business travel. High street shops concentrated on package holidays, specialized offices were structured to serve the needs of business and industry. This business model was highly successful throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By the end of the 1980s, Lunn Poly had over 500 shops, and by the mid-1990s it was the largest travel agency in the UK.<ref name=travel/><ref>{{cite book |last=Richardson |first=Dave |date=15 May 2016 |title=Let's Go A History of Package Holidays and Escorted Tours |location=UK |publisher=Amberley Publishing |pages=1983–1985 |isbn=9781445647852}}</ref> In 1995 it entered the holiday voucher market, valued at £400million to compete with [[Thomas Cook]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly to enter travel voucher fray|url=https://www.marketingweek.com/lunn-poly-to-enter-travel-voucher-fray/|website=marketingweek.com}}</ref> The rivalry with Thomas Cook, and [[Going Places (travel agent)|Going Places]], led to a fierce price war in which Lunn Poly estimated it was sacrificing £10m per year to attract new customers away from its competitors.<ref>{{cite book |last=Waterworth |first=Derek |date=1995 |title=Selling Financial Services A Professional Approach |location=UK |publisher=Gresham Books |pages=80–91 |isbn=9781855731585}}</ref> In 1998, Lunn Poly were the UKs largest wholly owned retailer of air-holidays with 2.3m air inclusive holidays sold, representing 20% of the market.<ref>{{cite book |date=2000 |title=
The European Leisure Travel Industry |location=UK |publisher=Travel & Tourism Intelligence  |page=317 |isbn=9781903522011}}</ref>

At the turn of the millennium, Lunn Poly unveiled alternative store formats including a megastore which had five key areas – long haul, short breaks, summer sun, families and late trips – the first of which opened in [[Leicester]].  A trial of family holiday only stores took place in [[Coventry]] but was not pursued further by Lunn Poly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly revamp sets style for future outlets|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/11007/lunn-poly-revamp-sets-style-for-future-outlets|website=travelweekly.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Janet |date=2001 |title=Travel and Tourism |location=UK |publisher=Edexcel |page=132 |isbn=9780435455927}}</ref> At the time, a number of South Wales stores rebranded from Lunn Poly to Travel House due to the latter's enhanced reputation in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly rebrand in south Wales|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/10182/lunn-poly-rebrand-in-south-wales|website=travelweekly.co.uk}}</ref> By January 2003, Lunn Poly began to refine the megastore concept further, reducing the size of the new out of town stores to around 4,000 sq ft compared to the original Leicester stores floor span of 10,000 sq ft. The first new concept store opened in [[Swansea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BRANDING: Lunn Poly trials 'refined' format for megastores|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/branding-lunn-poly-trials-refined-format-megastores/169404|website=campaignlive.co.uk}}</ref>

When TUI UK, which had acquired Thomson Travel, rebranded [[Britannia Airways]] as [[Thomsonfly]] in November 2003, the company insisted that there were no plans to rebrand Lunn Poly. The headquarters was moved from Lunn Poly House in Leamington Spa to London during the acquisition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-01-31 |orig-date=2003-01-27 |title=Change of registered address |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00638309/filing-history/MTAwMzQ3MjE1YWRpcXprY3g/document?format=pdf&download=0 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Find and update company information – GOV.UK |publisher=[[Companies House]]}}</ref> In October 2004, TUI sold a number of Travel House Group stores to Martin Morgan Travel, before confirming the remainder would be rebranded to Lunn Poly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TUI UK sells back Travel House shops|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/20406/tui-uk-sells-back-travel-house-shops|website=travelweekly.co.uk}}</ref> On 2 November 2004, the announcement was made that all Lunn Poly shops in the United Kingdom were to be rebranded as Thomson.<ref name=travel/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly brand set to disappear|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3978201.stm|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

Despite the brand disappearing in 2004, Lunn Poly Limited was retained as a dormant company, registered at TUI's UK headquarters in [[Luton]] until its dissolution from the UK [[companies house]] register in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-09 |title=final gazette notice |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00638309/filing-history/MzQyNzQ0MTQ3M2FkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Find and update company information – GOV.UK |publisher=[[Companies House]]}}</ref> In 2011, former employee Robert Bonnar was jailed for admitting to laundering £500,000 through a Lunn Poly store in [[Glasgow]] between 2002 and 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Bonnar jailed for laundering £500,000 drugs cash|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15590734|publisher=BBC}}</ref>