APPLEBY'S Coach Tour Holidays will be relaunched by a family-run North Lincolnshire travel firm that has bought the naming rights to the defunct Conisholme-based company.
Radley Coach Travel of Brigg and Barton will use the iconic Appleby's brand to market its range of coach holidays to customers in the Grimsby and Louth area.
The company, which has a travel office in Brigg, will continue trading under the Radley name in the Scunthorpe area, where it has built up a solid client base since being established by husband and wife team Kevin and Joanne Radley in 1991.
Mr Radley said the next addition to the company's fleet would carry the distinctive Appleby's cream livery, and that he planned to open an Appleby's travel office in the Grimsby and Louth area.
A new Appleby's holiday brochure will be released next week.
As reported, Appleby's Coach Tour Holidays ceased trading last month after its parent company Bowen Travel Group went into administration, with the loss of about 150 jobs.
Mr Radley said: "Since Appleby's went into administration we have been increasingly busy and we have taken on a good number of former Appleby's customers.
"We could have expanded without buying the name but I am a traditionalist and I wanted to carry on the Appleby's name which is very well-known and respected in the Grimsby and Louth area.
"Radley is a strong brand in Scunthorpe and I see this as our chance to break into the Grimsby and Louth area.
"This is an incredibly exciting time. We are celebrating our 21st year in business and next year will be Appleby's 100th."
Meanwhile, Robert McQuillan, owner of Appleby's Ices, said he intends to press ahead with plans to set up a new coach travel company on the defunct company's old premises in Conisholme, next to the ice cream business.
As reported, Mr McQuillan, who leased premises to the coach company and has since bought the office equipment from the administrators, expressed his desire to reunite the two Appleby's businesses in time for the 100th anniversary.
But his plan to use the Appleby's name for his proposed new venture has been thrown into doubt by the announcement by Radley.
He said: "We could have bought the naming rights, but there was no way I was prepared to do that when Appleby's Coach Holidays owed me £10,000 in unpaid rent.
"We will not be able to use exactly the same name but I would like to have Appleby's in the title.
"We have taken legal advice and we will have to see what name we can register with Companies House.
"Even if we can't use the Appleby's name we are determined to have a holiday company attached to Appleby's Ices."
Asked about the prospect of having two rival coach operators both trading under the Appleby's name, Mr McQuillan added: "It would be a strange situation, but that's business. I suppose the strongest will survive."
