by Joe Walker

joewalker@thekmgroup.co.uk

A Herne Bay travel agents has shut its doors after a mass walk-out by staff.

Trailblazer Travel closed its High Street shop – and two others in Ashford and Manston – after six employees resigned following a dispute over non-payment of wages.

The independent firm was a franchise of Hays Travel, whose head office is in Sunderland.

Owner Michael Chris Pereira blamed the closures on “limited lending” from major banks resulting in “cashflow issues”.

He said: “It was always my dream to establish an independent travel agent in Kent and I felt we were close to making it successful.

“We grew the business from nothing to over £2.3 million sales in just 20 months and I thought we were turning the corner.

“However, the bank wouldn’t fund our working capital requirements following the Thomas Cook fiasco and that placed a lot of strain on our resources.

“We did finally get an investor but it was too late despite my best efforts. A huge amount of effort went into meeting bills and paying staff, but in the end it was a lost cause as the bank were not prepared to support us.

“I am really sorry that I can’t continue and desperately disappointed for all my staff who have worked so hard to make us successful.”

Mr Pereira said customers should be reassured that any holidays they have booked were safe.

He said: “Every single holiday, deposit and booking is 100% safe. No customer will lose anything and I’m very relieved by that. We never handled any cash as all bookings were made direct to Hays Travel, our parent.”

Claire Dickson, the only employee remaining when the business closed, said: “I feel that my dream is shattered now.

“We put in so much work because we really believed in what we were doing. I don’t know how banks can advertise they’re supporting small businesses when they let a company like ours go to the wall. I’m just gutted.”

The company has appointed an insolvency practice to handle its closure.

If anyone has any concerns about their holiday they should call Hays Travel on 01915 106304.