As refreshing as their approach to their work might be, the feeling among some observers is that it may not be enough. There is also some duplication to address, with 49 Thomas Cook stores on the same street, or near, existing Hays outlets. We had about 1,000 clients there and we fed and watered them at our expense. They’re all packages of one sort of another. Irene Marie Younger was born September 22, 1912, in Clovis, New Mexico, to Alois John and Mary Dora (Younger) Koerner. “I know people don’t think that can be done at scale, but it can. We own the business between us, we’re owner-managers who empower our staff and we’ve got no debt. Husband and wife Irene and John Hays own the Sunderland-based Hays Travel. John, who started up the travel firm in 1980, is survived by wife Irene Hays, who co-owns Hays Travel. Hays owned 56.42% and his wife Irene owns 43.58%. FLORENCE IRENE GRASSMAN (89) peacefully passed on May 13, 2014, in Angleton, TX, from her earthly home to her heavenly home. One of the ways in which Hays foster loyalty among their new staff is via a longstanding scheme to give shop staff a few hundred pounds to invest in local community projects. The prevailing wisdom is that package holidays bought via a travel agent sitting behind a desk are a thing of the past in the internet age. The couple were praised back in October last year when they prevented thousands of … [3], In 1980, Hays founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham. The eventual deal followed three weeks of day and night talks with government-appointed accountancy firm KPMG and estate agent Savills, who were armed with an army of lawyers. She married Anthony A. In the final stage of negotiations, they triumphed over two US private equity companies to take control of Thomas Cook’s high street network for an undisclosed sum. Irene Hays received the Dames Commander of … There will be cost-cutting, some of it via renegotiation of rents with landlords, after a nine-month period in which lease agreements are locked in. John Hays was the managing director of the Sunderland-based firm, alongside his wife and co-owner Irene. Her husband – a die-hard Newcastle United fan – had to miss his team’s unexpected victory over Manchester United to look after the children while she worked. In one case, that involved funding a hedgehog hospital. John & Irene Hays on BBC Radio 5 live. “The kids didn’t like seeing the little hedgehogs limping along, or squashed, on their way to school,” Irene says. “John, who with his wife and co-owner Irene Hays bought the Thomas Cook retail estate a year ago, was at work in the company's Sunderland Head Office when he collapsed. Related Videos But have John and Irene Hays, … “He thinks it’s just a package holiday to Benidorm.”. ohn and Irene Hays, the husband and wife team who. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian S t a f f a n d a g e n c i e s It is a rescue for Thomas Cook's network of high street stores, though will not save the 178-year-old brand name. She was born in Sycamore Illinois to Walter and Marjorie (Roth) Phelps. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his wife Irene and his family, colleagues and … “Hays Travel is a longstanding Abta member, and John was known to many of us. John Hays (22 July 1949[1] – 13 November 2020) was a British businessman, and the founder and chief executive (CEO) of Hays Travel, the largest independent travel agency in the UK. John Hays Death – Obituary – Uk travel agent company, Hays Travel EO nad founder, John Hays was pronounced dead on November 13, 2020, at the age of 71.His cause of death is unknown yet. [6][7], "Meet the couple behind Hays Travel as they offer hope to thousands of Thomas Cook staff", "Hays Travel founder dies after collapsing at work", "John Hays, founder of Hays Travel, dies aged 71", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Hays_(businessman)&oldid=1009615768, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 March 2021, at 13:07. It is in deep sadness we share the news of her passing on December 1, 2020, at the age of 82. In 1997, she married John Hays, and they have one son and one daughter. John and Irene Hays hit the headlines last year when they bought 555 Thomas Cook stores last year, protecting the jobs of more than 2,000 employees. The demise of Thomas Cook has so far resulted in 8,123 redundancies. In 1980, Hays founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham. Those ex-Thomas Cook staff who join Hays are in for something a bit different. We’ve got a pleasant lifestyle but we don’t want yachts or anything.”. John Hays died on 13 November 2020, after collapsing from a cardiac arrest at the company's Sunderland head office. He was married to Irene Hays, who chairs the company. “Hays Travel is a longstanding Abta member, and John was known to many of us. Irene points to figures showing that the number of packages sold each year is actually rising, dismissing the language deployed by the Irish airline boss as “sloppy”. Some may close but he insists “there wouldn’t be job losses”. "John built Hays Travel into the UK's largest independent travel agent providing jobs and careers for thousands of young people over 40 years. John and Irene Hays joined the hosts live in the BBC studio this morning (January 16), but when they failed to answer one of Naga’s questions, the host was forced to … Irene … Irene and John Hays were interviewed on Good Morning Britain. John Hays, pictured with his wife and co-owner of Hays Travel, Irene, collapsed at the company’s head office on Friday. “People have portrayed us as country bumpkins,” says John, 70, who founded Sunderland-based Hays Travel from the back of his mother’s childrenswear shop in 1980. Thomas Cook: what can we learn about booking holidays? John and Irene Hays, the husband and wife team who bought Thomas Cook’s 555 high street travel agencies this week, are keen to stress that beneath their folksy charm lies steely resolve and razor-sharp business acumen. “The lightbulb moment was Hurricane Sandy, the snowstorm that closed New York for four days. But a second branch in Sunderland put him on the path to … “We were hoping they’d get hammered, so he’d say ‘Never mind pet, glad I missed it’,” says John, who was also presumably hoping Newcastle lost having served as vice-chairman of arch-rivals Sunderland AFC. The evidence from the last few weeks – and their four decades in business – suggests she and her husband know exactly what they are doing. It was eye-watering.”. “We haven’t taken a dividend for a while because we’re not skint. [2] He later earned an MBA from Manchester Business School. “There were people walking in wanting to book a holiday and Thomas Cook wouldn’t do it.”. John was the company's CEO. [5], He was married to Irene Hays, who chairs the company. We understand that the stakes are high when employees and tenants have been displaced. What Hays offers, the duo explain, could be a week in Benidorm, but it could also be a city break with opera tickets or a cruise up the Ganges complete with informative lectures, which is what they’re planning for their own Christmas break. “We’ve taken the view that we’ll run both shops on the same high street now and hopefully they’ll stay profitable,” he says. “We’ll hopefully sell more holidays than Thomas Cook too because we’re neutral about who we sell,” she adds, offering the example of Jet2, a holiday company whose packages the Thomas Cook agencies refused to offer. Some of their own family members work for the business, although they’d rather not say who. At Hays + Sons, we have years of experience restoring damage to businesses of all kinds, as well as commercial, multi-family dwellings. The siblings were Betty June, Donald, Irene, Barb, Leslie and John. Younger on June 25, 1934, at Hays. bought Thomas Cook’s 555 high street travel agencies. Funeral Home Services for Irene are being provided by Preston-Schilling Funeral Home, Ltd. - Dixon. One couple had a suite in the Waldorf Astoria and stayed on for an extra four days. independent travel agent Hays Travel Founder & CEO and also an alumni of University of Oxford and Manchester Business School, John Hays has sadly passed away at the age of 71. “My husband is a clever boy, he’s got a brain the size of an elephant,” says Irene, 65, who chairs the business. Visit Florida [citation needed], Hays earned a degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford. John and Irene Hays from Sunderland have been inundated with messages of praise from strangers after swooping in to snap up Thomas Cook's 555 high street shops, saving 2,500 jobs. (11 October). John started his travel agent, 'Hay's … Our thoughts and sympathies are with his wife Irene and his family, colleagues and … John and Irene Hays discuss their down to earth business approach, Last modified on Fri 11 Oct 2019 13.20 EDT. The management structure is also much flatter, with fewer steps of removal between the board and the shop floor. As well as the benefit of such protection, he says tour operators such as Hays retain customers by going the extra mile. He died May 30, 1964. John Hays was taken ill at the firm's Sunderland head office and passed away 'doing the job he loved', the company said in a statement. Hays Travel boss Irene Hays has been made a dame in the New Year's Honours. Welcome to the Hays Travel Foundation Ever since Hays Travel was formed in 1980, being part of the community and helping where we can has been part of our ethos. The pair have a Herculean task ahead of them, picking up at least some of the pieces left over from one of the worst corporate failures in UK history. While John is the tourism veteran, Irene – who has been chief executive of two local authorities and served as a government adviser for three years – is equally business-minded. John Hays, the founder and co-owner Hays Travel, has died after collapsing while at work, it has been announced. Even the most ardent Left-winger would be … John acknowledges there is some surgery to do on Thomas Cook, whose brand was so tainted by the end that he wasn’t interested in buying the name to go along with the shops. Irene Hays passed away in Dixon, Illinois. But the Hayses now want to recruit around 2,500 of those who have lost their jobs, quadrupling the size of their business in the process. John, who ran the North East-based holiday firm alongside his wife Irene… John says customers like the security afforded by the Atol scheme, which covers the cost of package deals when something goes wrong. She lists Hays’ advantages over Thomas Cook, including the absence of high fixed costs associated with things such as a glamorous headquarters and stock market listing. The official receiver is still paying 931 staff to help with the wind down. John and Irene had to provide evidence of their financial resilience to the Civil Aviation Authority, opening up Hays Travel’s books to rigorous stress testing. "John, who with his wife and co-owner Irene Hays bought the Thomas Cook retail estate a year ago, was at work in the company's Sunderland head office when he collapsed. [2], John Hays died on 13 November 2020, aged 71, after collapsing at the company's Sunderland head office. Personal life. And as the deal was being hammered out, they fretted not just about knotty contractual issues but also about the domestic harmony of their lead property lawyer. image caption John Hays and wife Irene started the Sunderland-based business 40 years ago. Irene Ann (Phelps) Hays was born February 14, 1938. “A lot of that is justified. Sign up to the daily Business Today email. Hays Travel have bought 555 Thomas Cook stores. He leaves behind his wife Irene Hays… John and Irene Hays, the couple from Sunderland who rescued Thomas Cook, are the acceptable faces of capitalism. John and Irene Hays appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday morning with presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard. Irene and John Hays spell out their plans for the 555-strong retail chain. "John, who with his wife and co-owner Irene Hays bought the Thomas Cook retail estate a year ago, was at work in the company's Sunderland … “They were one of the first people to be flown home, it has to be said,” Irene admits. [4] Hays owned 56.42% and his wife Irene owns 43.58%. “There have been lots of stories about Thomas Cook being a bad example of capitalism – corporate greed, excessive overheads and excessive debt,” says John. Just in case you missed it, listen in to John & Irene Hays speaking with Clare McDonnell on BBC Radio 5 live about future travel. "Hays Travel is a longstanding ABTA member, and John was known to many of us. It’s a daunting prospect but the reality is that the couple behind this family-run operation, which unlike Thomas Cook is profitable and free of debt, are nobody’s fools. John Hays is Former Chairman/Founder at Hays Travel Ltd. See John Hays's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. The widow of the late Hays Travel boss, John Hays, has been made a Dame in the New Year's Honours just over six weeks since he died. It famously took on more than 2,000 former Thomas Cook employees when that … It is in deep sadness we share the news of … She was born on January 25, 1925, in Wynona, OK, to the late Thomas Alan Hays and the late Delia Kennreck Hays. John Hays died on 13 November 2020, aged 71, after collapsing at the company's Sunderland head office. “Thomas Cook had a huge hierarchy, whereas we’re really close to our people,” she says. The Sunderland-based travel agency made headlines in 2019 when it took on more than 2,000 former Thomas Cook staff . John and Irene had to provide evidence of their financial resilience to the Civil Aviation Authority, opening up Hays Travel’s books to rigorous stress testing. John and Irene Hays in 2019 Credit: Will Walker/North News First-year sales amounted to just £812. In the immediate aftermath of Thomas Cook’s implosion, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary declared the package holiday “dead”. "John, who with his wife and co-owner Irene Hays bought the Thomas Cook retail estate a year ago, was at work in the company's Sunderland Head Office when he collapsed. “We’ve got a very different form of capitalism. Irene Ann (Phelps) Hays Born: February 14, 1938 Died: December 1, 2020 Dixon – Irene Ann (Phelps) Hays was born February 14, 1938. “We’ll see what they think in a couple of years’ time.”. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his wife Irene and his family, colleagues and … Irene and John Hays spell out their plans for the 555-strong retail chain . But the pair, who arrive unaccompanied by the usual public relations minders, acknowledge that for all their deal-making acuity, they are slightly different animals to the usual big beasts of industry.