Speaking to TTG at the The Travel Convention in Abu Dhabi, Chris Mottershead insisted the decision was largely down to location and business performance.

“We look at the best position of the shop. A lot of these are amalgamations and we take leases into consideration as well – if the lease is due to be up on the Co-op store and the Thomas Cook one isn’t for several years, we’ll look at that.

“You look at whether one is doing more volume or making more money than the other. We may well have a Thomas Cook and Co-operative Travel next door to each other, in some streets we’ve even got two Thomas Cooks. It’s an evolution – you don’t find two Next clothes stores next to each other.”

All 28 shops will be shut by the end of December. Around 200 staff will be affected by the closures – most are expected to be redeployed, but Cook said a small number would be made redundant.

The closures are part of a wider revamping of Cook’s store network, which will see the operator “refocus” its shops into two formats – Thomas Cook Discovery, based in shopping centres and out-of-town retail parks, and Thomas Cook Neighbourhood, located primarily in traditional high street locations. “There’s a lot going on – the closures are just part of the overall picture,” he added.

Elsewhere, Mottershead insisted Cook remained committed to third-party agents.

“[It’s] an area we’ve put a lot of effort into. We’re very keen to develop those partnerships and we don’t see it as a short-term, quick fix,” he said.