Travel agent Bowen goes into administration
A travel agent with branches across the region that ran hundreds of coach trips each year has gone into administration, it was revealed today.
Branches of Bowen Travel Group closed this week with the loss of dozens of jobs. Administrators said the firm had experienced a severe cash flow crisis.
They said the firm, which had branches in Bilston, Aldridge, Great Barr and Sedgley, had suffered due to the struggling leisure industry.
The Association of British Travel Agents said today if customers have booked a Bowen's coach holiday, their money is fully protected under the Confederation of Passenger Transport bonding scheme.
If holidays have been booked on behalf of another operator, Hays Travel will honour the trips and is currently contacting customers to notify them.
The firm was part of independent travel agents group Hays, and was made up of six firms which included 38 stores across the region as well as three divisions of coach tour operators. Some 393 of the 448 staff have been made redundant.
Other branches closing this week were in Walsall town centre, West Bromwich and Tamworth. Agents in Bearwood and West Bromwich shut some time ago.
The firm was established in 1928 and by 1976 it was the largest independent coach operator in the Birmingham area.
