Richard Thompson III has joined Atlatos in the newly created role of business development manager, international franchise as the Germany-based travel technology company eyes further expansion.
Formerly the mobility manager for retail pharmacy dm drogerie markt, Thompson will now lead Atlatos’ international growth initiatives, overseeing the adoption of a new franchise model designed to extend the company’s reach beyond its current markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“We’ll be going into new markets not just to sell the product, but to look for partners who are interested in franchising,” he told BTN Europe in a recent interview.
“Our focus will be on Europe first, but we don’t have any [geographical] boundaries. The ideal set-up would be to have a franchise partner in each country,” he explained. “I’d like to give a partner the potential of having exclusive rights to the [white label] tool in that country… I don’t believe any other online booking engine has a franchise model.”
According to Thompson, prospective partners include mid-office systems, HR technology hubs, and travel management companies. Atlatos already maintains reseller agreements with multiple TMCs in Germany – including DER Travel and Lufthansa City Center. The company also works directly with corporate clients.
“The difference with franchise partners is that they will be in charge of their own implementation and can set up their own fee structure, whereas TMCs with reseller agreements have a fixed contract with us and with the end customer,” Thompson said.
Franchise partners will also gain access to Atlatos’ expense capabilities, which is currently not included in TMC reseller agreements. “A lot of TMCs don’t do expense because they’re not expense experts so that will be a major difference for franchise partners,” Thompson added.
Currently, Thompson is operating as “a one-man show”, but will add team members if necessary. “That’s the difference with the franchise model – I don’t need a sales team in each market because the franchisee will be responsible for building up a sales team and a sales structure. I will be the counsel and the key account manager for franchise partners.”
