FORMER
Holiday Hypermarket boss John Donnelly plans to sell loans and properties from
his new retail venture, The Holiday Factory.
Due
to open on November 17, the 1,000 sq ft satellite store in Cannock town centre
is Donnelly’s return to retail following months spent on gardening leave from
the First Choice Group.
In
addition to using the shop as a traditional travel agency, Donnelly has been
given the go-ahead to sell loans after being granted a credit broker licence by
the Office of Fair Trading.
Working
on a Windows-based computer system, Holiday Factory agents will be prompted to
ask customers whether they need a loan to pay for their holiday. Details will
then be passed to broker Promise Finance, with the agent earning commission.
Donnelly
plans to sell the computer system to independent agents to enable them to sell
non-travel products.
“There
are some great independent agents out there, with great windows on the high
street, so what’s stopping them selling other stuff?” he said.
The
Holiday Factory will also sell properties and advertise rented accommodation in
Spain.