Reassurances for holiday makers after closure of Sunny Heart Travel office in Peterborough's Queensgate

Holiday makers have been reassured after the sudden closure of a travel agents store in Peterborough’s Queensgate Shopping Centre.

Steve Bentzen, chief executive of Sunny Heart Travel, said staff were now working remotely and the business was still trading.

He said: “There is no cause for concern.

“All our holidays are ATOL and ABTA protected and customers’ money is held in trust for their holiday and their holiday alone.

“I have a comms email I send to concerned customers”.

Sunny Heart Travel opened in the centre in November 2022 but on Tuesday the entrance shutter was pulled down and a Forfeiture Notice issued by Parkinson Bailiff Services placed in the front window.

Mr Bentzen said: “We are still trading.

“We’ve just had a contractual dispute with Queensgate.

“We are looking for a new city centre store.”

Sunny Heart Travel was founded in 2020 by Steve Bentzen and Gemma Sharman following the collapse of Peterborough-based holiday giant Thomas Cook in 2019, where they both worked.

Sunny Heart Travel began as an online only business but quickly expanded and opened a shop in the former Beales store in Westgate, Peterborough, before moving to the Queensgate Shopping Centre.

The Sunny Heart Travel name is a nod to the famous heart logo that was used by Thomas Cook.

lt provides traditional packages and dynamic packages, cruises, tours and ancillaries, from budget hostels to high-end hotels and has 32 cruise lines and two million hotels among its offering.