Online push drives Club Med sales in UK

Club Med has more than doubled its UK media spend allocated to the web in the past year, leading to a 65% growth in web sales.

Club Med has more than doubled its UK media spend allocated to the web in the past year, leading to a 65% growth in web sales.


Announcing its half-year results for October to March 2009, the French all-inclusive operator highlighted its UK performance.


Eighteen thousand Brits took a Club Med holiday over the winter, up from 15,000 last year – an increase of 27% in a market which Club Med estimates as 5% down year on year.


The shift towards online and direct marketing represents a group-wide move following Club Med’s repositioning as an upmarket brand in 2004. However, chief executive Henri Giscard d’Estaing, said: “Now the Club Med brand has been repositioned worldwide, marketing and advertising budgets will be reduced.”


In the UK, he said: “Internet share of the media budget increased from 41% in 2008 to 87% in 2009.” This resulted in a 65% increase in web sales during the winter, with 34% of UK bookings coming online – up from 22% the previous year. Online sales accounted for 13.5% of the total across the entire Club Med business.


Giscard d’Estaing reported current trading in the UK as strong , with summer sales 4% ahead of last year in a market estimated to be 9% down.