Tivoli Travel plans to set up a ‘pop up’ concession in a clothing store while converting a brochure stock room in an existing branch into a flower and gift shop.
The travel agency, which has two branches in Mirfield and Holmfirth, shut its premises in Lindley, a suburb of Huddersfield in Yorkshire, in June this year because of the pandemic.
Director Jo Richards said she had been looking at opportunities to reopen in the town where the company had started to develop a strong customer base.
She now plans to open a small outlet in discounted women’s store Dress for Less, based in a large former Victoria school building, in January for at least 12 months. Tivoli Travel will have an area upstairs in the shop, locally near to where the agency’s previous branch was based in the town.
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Richards said: “We have got quite a few customers in the town so we did envisage we would go back there at some point and the shop owner wanted to help us to get back on our feet again.
“It is a cheaper way to get back trading in the town and we may get new customers who go into the store. We will have a sectioned-off corner area in the shop with some chairs, a waiting area and brochure racking.”
The concession will be manned by a member of staff currently on furlough who used to work at the agency’s Lindley branch.
Meanwhile, Richards also plans to use her downstairs brochure stockroom in Holmfirth to set up a new florist and gift store – using products made by local retailers who may not have shop premises – to help pay the shop rent while travel sales are down.
Richards, who hopes to have the shop running by February next year, added: “The room has its own entrance which opens on to a street near other gift shops and I am hoping it will tie-in with clients booking honeymoons who also want flowers for their wedding or gifts, as well as support other local businesses. Hopefully it will bring more footfall into the travel agency.”