Almost 200 staff will be affected by the planned closures and discussions with employees have already begun, the operator has said.

Cook added the majority of staff would be redeployed but a small number were expected to be made redundant.

All of the 28 stores will shut by the end of December.

The closures are part of a wider revamping of Cook’s store network, which will see the operator “refocus” its shops into two formats - Thomas Cook Discovery and Thomas Cook Neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood stores will be located primarily in traditional high street locations, while Discovery Stores will focus on "higher footfall" areas including shopping centres and out of town retail parks.

The first new Discovery store will open at Westfield, Stratford City, in November with a further three stores planned at other “prime locations” by the new year.

The opening will bring the total number of Discovery stores to 14 with Cook looking to add a further 15 over the next 18 months.

Meanwhile, 50 existing Cook shops are to be refurbished.

Cook’s director of retail and customer experience, Kathryn Darbandi, said: “Our network of stores across the UK remains key to attracting, inspiring and engaging our customers. While a growing number of customers use our digital channels, many want to be able to discuss and arrange holidays face-to-face with knowledgeable people. It is one of the reasons they choose Thomas Cook. 

“Our store colleagues play a major part in ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty, never more evident than in the past year.

"As well as helping customers choose the right holiday, our store colleagues have worked tirelessly to assist them when challenging events have meant the need for last minute changes to their schedules

"However, we know we cannot stand still so we are constantly working to improve the format of our stores as well as making sure we have the right stores in the right places to meet the changing demands of our millions of customers.”