Online Travel Group (OTG) is looking to expand its high street presence by recruiting sub post masters to help sell holidays.
Headquartered at East Midlands Airport, the group includes three websites: hotholidays.co.uk, which sells mainstream package holidays; getskiing.co.uk; and getcruising.co.uk.
It promotes hotholidays.co.uk and getcruising.co.uk at 20 Post Offices in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, with counter staff generating sales leads for the call centre, and handling tickets for customers.
Gary Wardrope, managing director, said: “We are looking to expand our presence in the high street with more shops in Post Offices, giving customers the opportunity to book online, on the phone or in a shop.
“Post Offices are also looking for revenue streams and we can help them.
“We’re saying ‘give us space and pass customers our way’.”
The Post Offices have posters in the windows and inside which advertise hotholidays.co.uk and getcruising.co.uk.
“Cruising is a good fit as Post Offices have a lot of older customers,” said Wardrope.
“We are helping the New Ollerton Post Office with a cruise evening.
“It’s a bricks-and-mortar presence without great expense and the rents on the high street.”
OTG also plans to expand by acquiring other travel firms, and Wardrope is interested in talking to retailers and tour operators, especially in the long-haul market.
“Our strategy of multiple brands targeting different niches, all underpinned by one advanced online platform developed in-house, is working,” he said.
“We have a strong balance sheet and believe we can help other businesses out with IT resources developed inhouse, accounts, bonding and phone systems that can cut costs and better compete in a tough environment.”
Money for the investment is coming from Wardrope and other private investors, and the group is in talks with “a couple of businesses”.
“We have major ambitions. We have a good team of cutting-edge internet-savvy people, and can help businesses,” he said.
“It’s been a rough market with issues such as Brexit and they won’t be resolved quickly, so people are looking at different ways to run their business.”
OTG is part of Hays Travel Independence Group, and has separated from its previous parent company, global air cargo business HAE Group.
It has 12 members of staff including four homeworkers.
“We have low overheads as we are based at East Midlands Airport, and have room for expansion,” said Wardrope.
“You need to be multichannel and multiproduct – and have low overheads.”
Wardrope join OTG in 2017 when it acquired his Get Travelling brand, which sold cruise and ski holidays.