James Villas axed: Awaze plan to shut Maidstone company putting 40 jobs at risk

Awaze has confirmed James Villas - a holiday rental company offering around 600 villas across Europe - is no longer taking bookings, putting 40 jobs at risk of redundancy. The Maidstone-based company recently created a new trade-relations team but now faces closure as a staff consultation process begins, Awaze confirms.

The European managed vacations business confirmed the news on Monday (October 30), stressing the move was a strategic business decision not related to impact from current market conditions. “We have decided to cease trading with James Villas as that model relied on guaranteed inventory,” its chief executive, Henrik Kjellberg, said.

“James Villas’ core inventory represents less than 1% of our total supply. We will work hard to ensure we minimise the impact on our employees, suppliers and customers.”

According to Awaze - which manages more than 100,000 properties across the UK and Europe in its portfolio - customers with bookings set to depart later than November 30 will be issued a full refund as well as the chance to book an alternate property offered by Awaze. Customers returning on or before 30 November will not be affected by the companies closure. Existing James Villas clients will be contacted this week regarding their bookings.

James Villas’ sister company Novasol - which has more than 50,000 holiday homes across Europe - has been recommended as an alternative booking solution for clients, according to the company.

“The entire James Villas team would like to thank each and every customer that has ever booked with us, it has been a pleasure being part of your holiday experiences for so many years,” read a statement on the James Villas website.

Staff and clients at other Awaze brands remain unaffected by the closure, it has been reported.