- Thomas Cook makes all its profit in the summer when its customers in northern Europe go on holiday
- But ‘unprecedented months of hot weather’ reduced demand for late bookings
LONDON: British travel company Thomas Cook cut its 2018 profit outlook by about 13 percent, blaming a heatwave in northern Europe for more discounting and tougher competition in the most profitable later part of the summer holiday season.
Thomas Cook makes all its profit in the summer when its customers in northern Europe, including Britain, Germany and Scandinavia go on holiday, mainly to warmer destinations in southern Europe such as Spain, Turkey and Greece.
But what the company described as “unprecedented months of hot weather” reduced demand for late bookings, adding to pressure after it had already warned in July that profit would be at the lower end of expectations.
“The slowdown in customer bookings during June and July extended into August, leading to higher than normal levels of promotional activity,” Thomas Cook said in a statement on Monday.
Thomas Cook’s bigger rival TUI Group in August stuck to its forecasts but said that the heatwave would prevent it from beating them.
For the 12 months to Sept. 30 2018, Thomas Cook guided that underlying operating profit (EBIT) would come in at around £280 million ($366 million), below a previous £323 million to £355 million range.
The company also said the hot summer was affecting demand for winter holidays, saying that it would provide more detailed guidance in November when it reports its annual results.
In a separate statement, Thomas Cook said its chief financial officer Bill Scott would leave the company on November 30, and be replaced on an interim basis by Sten Daugaard, a board member of Thomas Cook’s German business.
A search for a permanent successor would be started immediately, the company added.