Jet tours wants 15 to 20 new franchise operators per year

TourMaG.com - Where are you at with the deployment of the franchise contract at Jet Tours, of which the procedures have been revealed last May?

Nicolas Delord: We are still at the finalizing phase of the last minute details. The first signatures should take place in the Fall.

Today, we count 82 Jet Tours labels. They should change contract and go through a franchise the closer we get to the expiration date of the former contract.

TourMaG.com - Some agencies refuse to lose the 3% of sur-commission as is stated in the new contract. What do you think of that?

Nicolas Delord: In the former contracts, the brands had to pay a fee based on their business turnover, which sometimes could amount to quite a lot.

In exchange, we paid them back with sur-commissions.

This model has changed and the new contracts now integrate a fixed and contracted fee.

To balance this out, we must stop the payment of sur-commissions. In 80% of the cases, the agencies gain from this. For the remaining 20%, we are open to any intelligent discussion to find a sustainable solution.

TourMaG.com - Following the sale of some Jet Tours labels, what are your ambitions for the brand?

Nicolas Delord: We had to cede some retail outlets because our structure is not always sufficiently agile to handle local stores.

However, we want to reach a considerable size and hope to redeploy Jet Tours and expand the network. I hope to have 15 to 20 additional franchise operators every year.

Jet Tours is a historical brand in France. It was mismanaged and was a bit out of shape. But in the last twelve months, we got it back on its feet. Our reconquering policy is beginning to bear fruits.

We receive spontaneous requests from agencies who want to work under this brand. We were also awarded the prize of the best tour-operator. All of these signs are very encouraging.