TRAVELSHOP:"wir haben jetzt freie Luft, die vorwärts geht!" - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[[b][i]@FLAGSHIP(/b][/i]]

Again, that`s certainly behind us now and we have got clear air going forward.


TRAVELSHOP:"wir haben jetzt freie Luft, die vorwärts geht!"


Travelshop fails to meet forecast
By Peter Klinger
TRAVELSHOP has blamed over-ambitious forecasts and an underestimation of costs for an operating loss in its Internet travel business, amid expectations the parent company`s bottom line will also slide into the red.

But managing director Glenn Robertson has defended the performance of the Perth company and said it had cleared the decks to build on a solid business platform.

Mr Robertson vowed to ensure the company`s affairs, virtually shrouded in secrecy since its backdoor listing into the Paget Mining shell six months ago, became more transparent.

His comments came only days after the company, which runs a retail and virtual travel agency network, retrenched about 12 of its 40-strong West Perth call centre team in an effort to reduce operating costs.

Although not referring directly to the retrenchments, Mr Robertson said over-ambitious sales forecasts and an underestimate of operating costs had forced Travelshop to make some tough decisions.

Travelshop is yet to release its full year results but told the stock exchange last month that group revenue for the year to June 30 was $31.9 million, as opposed to its forecast of $38 million.

This was because of slower growth in actual Internet bookings, revenue lost through upgrading retail store facilities and the relocation and upgrading of the call centre.

The group posted revenue of $9.8 million for the June quarter but had expenses of $12.3 million, including $10.2 million of "costs of operating including costs of sales".

Travelshop`s wholly owned subsidiary, travelshop.com.au, recorded a pre-abnormal loss of $3.4 million against a projected loss of $490,000.

It has been an eventful six months for Travelshop, with the business`s co-founder and managing director, Alan Dodson, resigning after a boardroom dispute and the company`s share price jumping to $1.40 shortly after relisting but since then falling, closing yesterday at 38¢.

There has also been concern about the lack of information being given to the market amid claims that directors Rob Nichevich and Peter Stedwell kept tight control over the information flow.

Mr Robertson, who only joined Travelshop from Ansett two months ago, said he was aware of some of those claims but was working to resolve the issues.

"I think (the financial performance) was a result of overexpectations of the previous management group and underperformance in reality," he said.

"The reality is that the result was as much a factor of the business decision that was previously out there with people being employed constantly and forecasts that quite clearly were not being achieved.

"Again, that`s certainly behind us now and we have got clear air going forward."

Travelshop was established by Alan Dodson, a travel industry player, and Mr Nichevich about nine years ago before they decided to backdoor-list the company into Melbourne-registered Paget. Mr Nichevich was a member of the Paget board.

Travelshop.com.au was developed as Travelshop`s Internet arm about a year ago.

Mr Nichevich remains Travelshop`s biggest shareholder with a stake of about 21 per cent. Fellow Paget director Peter Stedwell also moved over to the Travelshop board.

Travelshop consultant John Large, a former Confederation of Motor Sports Australia boss, was appointed to the chairman`s post in February.

Mr Dodson remains a substantial Travelshop shareholder and Coles Myer, with whom Travelshop has a travel provider agreement, has a three-year option to take a 30 per cent stake in the Perth company.

Mr Nichevich, the managing director of WRF Securities, is also on the boards of Australian International Carbon and Karrivale Winery, was in partnership with disgraced accountant Charles Vella and is the former chief of Westeq, the one-time owner of the Sydney Swans.

[Bomber2]

Da bin ich ja mal gespannt wos hingeht...

KZ????????????????????????????

Gruss Bomber2

[EMO]

Sinngemäß soll das wohl bedeuten: Weiter runter gehts nicht mehr, aber nach oben ist noch jede Menge Luft. Lass deiner Phantasie freien Lauf. Ein ernsthaftes Kursziel kann dir sowieso keiner nennen.

[Prosalis]

Ich würde auch jetzt die Finger von der Aktie lassen

"...His comments came only days after the company, which runs a retail and virtual travel agency network, retrenched about 12 of its 40-strong West Perth call centre team in an effort to reduce operating costs..."

Das hört sich für mich so an, als ob hier jetzt einige Call-Center auf Sparflamme betrieben werden, bzw. ganz geschlossen werden, d.h. das operative Geschäft scheint nicht gut zu laufen.

Im übrigen ist und bleibt die Story uninteressant. In die Richtung Internetreiseanbieter entwickelt sich doch jedes Reisebüro. Das ist keine originelle Geschäftsidee, die auch noch jeder kopieren kann.

Prosalis