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Brilliant Travel seeks to double in size by summer

Brilliant Travel is confident it will double in size to 40 managed service branches and 40 homeworkers by next summer.

The new Barrhead Travel brand now has 20 branches and 20 homeworkers, who are part of a Brilliant Travel Creators division.

Brilliant Travel launched in August with 15 managed service branches and 16 homeworkers.

The branches are independent agencies that use Barrhead’s Atol and Abta number.

Since then, Brilliant has signed up five new managed service agencies and four homeworkers, and has six more homeworkers due to join shortly.

Business development director Trevor Davis (pictured), who joined in June and came up with the concept, said expansion was going 
“exactly to plan”.

“People are genuinely interested in what we can bring to the 
party,” he said.

The five new managed service branches are in Sunderland; London; Annan, Dumfriesshire; Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire; and Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. They include three agencies set up by former Thomas Cook/Co-operative Travel managers.

Davis said: “Many of our applicants have set up branches and invested their redundancy money in an area where they have built up a fantastic client base.

“It’s a big decision for them and involves taking a gamble on the back of clients saying they will come with them.”

At least two new managed service branch applicants were interested in putting the Brilliant name above the door, Davis said.

He added that Brilliant Travel had received 83 applications, mostly from outside Scotland, where Barrhead has a strong high street presence.

Many members were attracted by the group’s technology, particularly its customer relationship management system, and the fact homeworkers receive 75% commission, added Davis.

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