British travel company Groupia Ltd has entered insolvency after 24 years in business, cancelling all holidays and events booked for 1 September and later. The Bath-based firm said customers affected by the cancellations should start the refund process, while trips due to take place on or before 31 August remain scheduled to go ahead.
The company organised group travel across Europe, including stag and hen parties, sports trips and cultural tours. It traded under brands including GoHen, StagWeb, Groupia Golf, Groupia School Trips and Company Away Days, and said it had served about 750,000 customers since it was founded.
Groupia said Nigel Fox and Christopher Marsden of S&W Partners LLP had been appointed as joint administrators to manage the insolvency process. It added that bookings protected under its insolvency travel scheme with ABTOT and due on or before 31 August would continue as planned.
Customers with bookings from 1 September onwards have had their trips cancelled, and the company said refunds were being arranged. Those who paid by credit or debit card have been advised to contact their card provider to request a chargeback, while customers who paid by other methods have been told to submit booking and payment documents to Gallagher Bassett, which is handling claims on behalf of ABTOT.
The company said refund claims could take about 6 weeks to review and complete.
Groupia’s collapse is the latest sign of pressure in the travel and events market, where companies that rely on large-scale group bookings can be vulnerable to cashflow problems and sudden changes in demand. For customers, the immediate priority is to check whether their trip falls before or after the 31 August cut-off, as that determines whether the booking should proceed or enter the refund process.
GoHen, StagWeb and the other Groupia brands had become a familiar presence in the UK outbound travel sector, offering packaged group trips to destinations across Europe. The firm’s long trading history and large customer base mean the insolvency will affect a wide range of travellers, suppliers and event partners.
For those facing cancelled plans, the company’s guidance is clear: card users should speak to their bank, while all other customers should gather their paperwork and contact the claims administrator. Groupia said it had started the process of winding down bookings and handling repayment requests after the insolvency filing.
