Millington Travel is to open its 12th and largest store to date in Coventry as it looks to capitalise on local demand for Jet2holidays.
The city centre store forms part of the miniple’s overall growth plan based on “opportunities, locations and staff”.
It will be the agency’s second shop in Warwickshire and boast its first in-store bar, which will be stocked with non-alcoholic drinks.
It opens on July 22 with a staff of six including manager Jo Donaldson, previously manager of Millington’s Halford Street store in Leicester, and has space for two more staff.
Nigel Armitage, group co-owner, said: “It is a very exciting time with Coventry’s ambitious regeneration plans as City of Culture in 2021.
“One of the main factors [in the choice of location] was to get the Jet2 business, as Birmingham airport is just down the road. There is huge potential as an independent agency here.”
The agency plans to market the fact it is independent and can sell a broad range of tailor-made and pre-packaged holidays and offer live, net air fares via GDS Travelport. It is located near to a Thomas Cook, a Tui and a Co-operative Travel store on the corner of Markey Way and Lower Precinct. It was previously a Phones4u shop, which has been empty since 2014.
On further expansion, Armitage said: “Our plan has always been to look at opportunities and make sure you can recruit good people in good locations. We have no number in terms of how many stores we want, but the Midlands is our core area and this is where the growth will be.”
The group now has nine stores in Leicestershire, one in Northants and two in Warwickshire. Millington’s 11th store in Blaby, Leicestershire, opened last December and has already “exceeded expectations”.
Millington Travel was named Best Small Agency in the Central England category at the Agent Achievement Awards last week.
