Barrhead Travel’s chief executive says “the high street is stronger than ever” as the agency chain announces its third new store in a week.
Scotland’s largest independent travel agent is opening at Port Glasgow Retail Park, moving its existing store in Oak Mall, Greenock to the shopping centre as it targets high footfall areas.
It follows the announcement of Barrhead’s third English store, set to open in Southampton, yesterday, and its latest Edinburgh store in Fort Kinnard Retail Park.
Overall, Barrhead will be investing £8.1 million on the three new store launches, over five years. Between them, 40 new jobs will be created and a recruitment drive is underway.
Barrhead Travel, which plans six new stores in England this year, also recently opened a shop in Victoria Square Shopping Centre, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Bill Munro, CEO of Barrhead Travel, said: “Our strategy remains focussed around our retail outlets. We see more and more customers are booking in store because they want the expertise of our specialists.
“We believe the high street agent is stronger than ever and we are confident that by investing in high-footfall areas such as shopping centres and retail parks, we are allowing our customers easy access to our travel experts. Holidays are an emotional purchase and customers want to feel they are getting the best possible value for money, sound advice from genuine specialists and to know that their holidays are fully financially protected.”
Barrhead opened its first stores south of the Scottish border in 2015, opening in Eldon Square, Newcastle. It later opened another shop in Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester. There are now more than 40 locations in its network of stores, call centres and offices.
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