11/12/2001

First Choice announce profit fall

UK holiday firm, First Choice have announced a profit fall of 27.5 per cent to £55 million over the last year.

While the group blamed the fall largely on the September 11 attacks on the US, it revealed its core profit, before exceptionals and goodwill, rose six per cent to £79.6m.

Aside from the job losses, First Choice had already cut is aircraft fleet and reduced tour capacity by up to 40 per cent, in a move aimed at saving £20m a year.

As a result First Choice has fewer unsold summer holidays than at this time last year, while the UK travel industry as a whole has cut the number of holidays on offer to maintain margins.

The company has also been trying to reduce its reliance on competitors selling First Choice holidays through the roll-out of the Holiday Hypermarket out-of-town retail format. (MB)

Related Northern Ireland Business News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

16 April 2002
Retail sales register strong growth during March
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said that the UK's retail sales recorded their strongest growth in six years during March, according to the latest figures. The BRC said like-for-like sales rose by 7.5 per cent compared to the previous year, while vibrant shopping during the Easter holiday weekend helped sustain the numbers.
16 August 2001
NI adults set to go Falcon in summer 2002
As the package holiday market goes from strength to strength, when and how Northern Ireland holidaymakers book their summer holidays is undergoing significant change, according to Falcon Holidays Director Christine Donnelly.
08 August 2001
Managers stay switched on in the sun
New research by the Institute of Management (IM) has revealed that executives still get the essential boost they need, personally and professionally, from their summer holiday break.
11 April 2002
UK new investment projects fall
The latest Ernst & Young European Investment Monitor survey has revealed that the number of new investment projects into Europe in 2001 fell by 12 per cent on 2000 figures. Countries that performed poorly in 2001 included the UK with a 34 per cent decline from 575 projects to 377.
10 December 2002
Holiday home owners may face tax hit warns PwC
A recent House of Lords ruling could mean that many owners of overseas holiday homes will face an unexpected tax hit, according to accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The Lords ruling is designed to close a loophole where UK residents, who own property abroad, often buy their home through an offshore company.