It was announced today, January 26, that Hays Travel intends to close 89 of its 535 shops, citing the ongoing pandemic and government restrictions to combat it as the drivers behind the decision.

The travel agency said it had deferred reviewing the performance of the former Thomas Cook shops that were acquired in October 2019, in the hope that business would return in 2021.

A spokesman for Hays Travel said: "The lease on the Peterborough Queensgate store will not be renewed following the expiry of the licence period.

"We are now discussing a number of options for alternative work for all colleagues at the shop. There are other Hays Travel stores nearby and all customers continue to be looked after by staff working from home via phone, Zoom, FaceTime and other means during lockdown."

A Peterborough branch of Hays Travel, at Serpentine Green, was closed in September last year, with staff distributed across various different stores in the region.

Dame Irene Hays, owner and chair of Hays Travel, said: "It was always our intention to review the performance of our shops at the end of the licence period – we had hoped the business would bounce back in January and it has not.

"We have done everything we could to safeguard jobs and the business thus far, and we have come up with a range of options for those at risk of redundancy to help as many colleagues as we can."