Coach holiday firm Shearings goes bust amid covid-19 crisis

Specialist Leisure Group, which owns coach company Shearings, has collapsed into administration amid the coronavirus crisis, the firm has announced.

All tours, cruises, holidays and hotel breaks booked with the Specialist Leisure Group have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. The Specialist Leisure Group operated several businesses that sold holidays and other travel arrangements under the following brand names, UK Breakaways, Coast & Country Hotels, Bay Hotels, Country Living Hotels, and Wallace Arnold Travel, which have all ceased to trade, due to the impact of COVID-19.

EY, the administrator to Specialist Leisure Group (SLG), confirmed that it had made more than 2,000 staff redundant who had previously been furloughed under the government's job retention scheme.

The news adds to the fast-growing toll of job losses across the economy as the coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc with industries such as leisure and travel.

The hotel chains will not reopen following the insolvency, it is understood.

In a statement, EY said it had tried to find a buyer to maintain the travel group as a going concern but that it had not been possible.

It added that "the vast majority of customers" were expected to have financial protection from one of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, Bonded Coach Holidays, ATOL or ABTA, or through their credit or debit card issuer.