Lunn Poly
Encyclopedia
Lunn Poly was the largest chain of travel agents in the United Kingdom
. The company originated from two successful travel agencies which had been established in 1890s; The Polytechnic Touring Association and Sir Henry Lunn Travel
. Both firms were acquired in the 1950s by the British Eagle
airline group, and combined into Lunn Poly during 1965. It became a nationalised industry as part of the Transport Holding Company
(THC). In June 1971, Sunair bought Lunn Poly from the THC for £175,000. The next year, the company became part of Thomson Travel Group
, which increased the number of shops from less than 30 to nearly 500 by 1990. It is now owned by TUI Northern Europe, a subsidiary of the German conglomerate TUI AG
.
When TUI UK rebranded Britannia Airways
as Thomsonfly
in November 2003, the company insisted that there were no plans to rebrand Lunn Poly. On 2 November 2004, however, the announcement was made that Lunn Poly was to be rebranded as Thomson in order to create a "powerbrand". TUI UK announced that all 780 Lunn Poly shops in the United Kingdom
would be renamed to Thomson before the peak holiday booking period started on 26 December 2004.
Lunn Poly was famous for a long-running advertising campaign on television
. These commercials featured people looking into what holidays the company offered. Another person would then say to them "Lunn Poly? Get away!", at which point the person would disappeared into thin air and end up at a vacation spot. One of these involved an ancient Greek building, with two support pillars talking. When one said "Get away!", the other one disappeared only for the building to collapse. In 1993 a Christmas themed advert was screened featuring two snowmen while the snow was falling. This ran for the following four months into April 1994.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The company originated from two successful travel agencies which had been established in 1890s; The Polytechnic Touring Association and Sir Henry Lunn Travel
Henry Simpson Lunn
Sir Henry Simpson Lunn was an English humanitarian and religious figure, and also founder of Lunn Poly, one of the UK's largest travel companies....
. Both firms were acquired in the 1950s by the British Eagle
British Eagle
British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 to 1968....
airline group, and combined into Lunn Poly during 1965. It became a nationalised industry as part of the Transport Holding Company
Transport Holding Company
The Transport Holding Company was a British Government owned company created by the Transport Act 1962 to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission ; it came into existence on 1 January...
(THC). In June 1971, Sunair bought Lunn Poly from the THC for £175,000. The next year, the company became part of Thomson Travel Group
Thomson Holidays
Thomson Holidays is a UK based travel operator and part of TUI Travel PLC. The company was founded as part of the Thomson Travel Group in 1965 following the acquisition of three package holiday travel agencies and the airline Britannia Airways by Roy Thomson...
, which increased the number of shops from less than 30 to nearly 500 by 1990. It is now owned by TUI Northern Europe, a subsidiary of the German conglomerate TUI AG
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
.
When TUI UK rebranded Britannia Airways
Britannia Airways
Britannia Airways was the largest charter airline in the United Kingdom, rebranded as Thomsonfly in 2005. Its main bases were Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow...
as Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly
Thomsonfly was a British airline, previously known as Britannia and a business within TUI UK prior to September 2007. Following TUI UK merging with First Choice Holidays in September 2007 it became part of TUI Travel PLC...
in November 2003, the company insisted that there were no plans to rebrand Lunn Poly. On 2 November 2004, however, the announcement was made that Lunn Poly was to be rebranded as Thomson in order to create a "powerbrand". TUI UK announced that all 780 Lunn Poly shops in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
would be renamed to Thomson before the peak holiday booking period started on 26 December 2004.
Lunn Poly was famous for a long-running advertising campaign on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. These commercials featured people looking into what holidays the company offered. Another person would then say to them "Lunn Poly? Get away!", at which point the person would disappeared into thin air and end up at a vacation spot. One of these involved an ancient Greek building, with two support pillars talking. When one said "Get away!", the other one disappeared only for the building to collapse. In 1993 a Christmas themed advert was screened featuring two snowmen while the snow was falling. This ran for the following four months into April 1994.