InteleTravel wants UK and Ireland operation to be ‘£1bn business’

InteleTravel is targeting a 40% increase in UK and Ireland sales next year amid plans for the operation to eventually become “a £1 billion business”.

James Ferrara, chief executive and co-founder of the US-headquartered homeworking agency, revealed the sales target for 2026 would be £350 million after announcing this year’s sales total
is on track to hit £245 million.

“That level of growth [more than 40%] doesn’t sound reasonable, but when you look at our history of 50% or 60% growth, it’s actually conservative and I’m sure we’ll smash it,” he said.

He added that the sales growth of more than 50% in the past year was largely the result of agents’ productivity rather than an increase in the number of homeworkers, noting the number of agents had risen by about 20%.

The group has said there are about 37,000 agents in the UK, with about 1,800 in Ireland. 

“People think InteleTravel grows just by adding more agents, but it’s clearly not true when you look at the numbers,” said Ferrara. “We grow by driving the productivity per agent and teaching them how to sell.”

Tricia Handley-Hughes, managing director of InteleTravel in the UK and Ireland, credited the agency’s Dream Maker training events for boosting agents’ knowledge and also pointed to other learning opportunities, including the new weekly ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions.

Ferrara said he expected the sales figure to continue to grow over the coming years.

“We’re selling more product and pricing is going up year after year, so that number is going to go up,” he said.

He added: “I would like the UK to be a £1 billion business. That is a serious size even on a global scale and that’s what it deserves to be.”

The group would not “rush” to achieve its goals, he said, with the intention being “managed, responsible growth”.

He added: “The company is very profitable and debt free.”