Editing Lunn Poly

{{Short description|Defunct British travel agency brand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name             = Lunn Poly
| logo             = [[File:Lunn poly tui logo.svg|250px|Lunn Poly logo]]
| caption          =
| type             = [[Subsidiary]]
| genre            =
| fate             = Rebranded as [[Thomson Holidays|Thomson]], now [[TUI UK|TUI]]
| predecessor      = Polytechnic Touring Association <br> Sir Henry Lunn Travel
| successor        =
| foundation       = 1965
| founder          = 
| defunct          = 2004
| location         = 
| locations        = 785 (2004 prior to rebrand)<ref>{{Cite web |title=TUI rebrands Lunn Poly as Thomson|url=https://marketingweek.com/tui-rebrands-lunn-poly-as-thomson/|website=marketingweek.com}}</ref>
| hq_location_city    = Luton
| hq_location_country = United Kingdom
| area_served      =
| key_people       = John McEwan – Managing Director <small>(2000-2003)</small><ref>{{Cite web |title=McEwan takes Lunn Poly MD role|url=https://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/13266/mcewan-takes-lunn-poly-md-role|website=travelweekly.co.uk}}</ref>
| industry         = Travel
| products         = Package Holidays
| services         =
| revenue          =
| operating_income =
| net_income       =
| aum              =
| assets           =
| equity           =
| owner            =
| num_employees    =
| parent           = [[TUI Travel]]
| divisions        =
| subsid           =
| homepage         = 
| footnotes        =
| intl             =
}}
'''Lunn Poly''' was a large chain of [[travel agent]]s in the United Kingdom.  TUI Travel acquired Lunn Poly in 2003, and by the end of 2004 had retired the brand absorbing it within the wider Thomson Travel group.

==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>

==Marketing==
[[File:Lunn Poly Bold St.jpg|thumb|Lunn Poly high street store with pre-TUI branding]]

===Lunn Poly Television===
Lunn Poly Television began broadcasting on 1 June 2004, via Sky Digital.  The 18 hour per day broadcast was produced by The Travel Channel, and was backed by a £1million advertising campaign across the Sky platform.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Media news: Lunn Poly introduces TV shopping channel|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/media-news-lunn-poly-introduces-tv-shopping-channel/211318|website=campaign.co.uk}}</ref> As part of TUI retiring the Lunn Poly name, the TV channel was rebranded as Thomson TV before the end of 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly name axed in favour of Thomson powerbrand|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lunn-poly-name-axed-favour-thomson-powerbrand/226681|website=campaign.co.uk}}</ref>

===Advertising===
Lunn Poly was famous for a long-running advertising campaign on [[television]]. These adverts featured people looking into what holidays the company offered. Another person would then say to them in disbelief "Lunn Poly? Get away!", at which point the person would disappear into thin air and end up at a holiday spot.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/worst-ad-i-ever-made-no-matter-awards-displayed-mantelpieces-adlands-creative-directors-boast-least-one-turkey-portfolios-camilla-palmer-speaks/50584|title=No matter how many awards they have displayed on their mantelpieces, all of adland's creative directors boast at least one turkey in their portfolios|publisher=Campaign Live|date=8 February 2002|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref>

In 2003, Lunn Poly relaunched its Getaway slogan as part of a new advertising campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lunn Poly revives 80’s slogan|url=https://www.travelmole.com/news/lunn-poly-revives-80s-slogan/|website=travelmole.com}}</ref>

===Whispering Windows===
In late 2003, Lunn Poly introduced ''Whispering Windows'' created by Newlands Scientific.  The technology would allow the windows to effectively talk to the customer, designed to encourage more interaction with the high street stores.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life's a beach, say Lunn Poly windows|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2872653/Lifes-a-beach-say-Lunn-Poly-windows.html|website=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> The estimated increase in footfall during the first week of the windows was 42%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Holiday Escapes|url=https://www.avinteractive.com/news/holiday-escapes-16-02-2004/|website=avinteractive.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{TUI}}
{{Tourism in the United Kingdom}}

[[Category:Transport companies established in 1965]]
[[Category:Transport companies disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:British companies established in 1965]]
[[Category:British companies disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:1965 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:1971 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Travel and holiday companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Tourism in the United Kingdom]]