Hays Travel plans to offer Sunday trading at a further 110 branches after identifying it as an effective way of generating extra profit.
A total of 161 branches are already permanently open on Sundays, the agency’s annual retail conference heard this week, with the business having “embraced Sunday trading”.
Head of retail Paula Barrett (pictured) said: “It’s an opportunity for us to generate additional profit with very little outlay. The only real additional cost is the salary cost.”
More: Hays Travel aims to increase long-haul sales amid Budget impact
Among the other additional revenue streams outlined by Barrett were the sale of insurance products and ancillaries, with Hays Travel targeting 1% of sales to come from the latter.
Beccy Rayner, foreign exchange (forex) head of sales, urged agents to ensure they have a conversation about forex at the time of booking on every occasion.
Considerable profit potential has been identified in the forex service – including in the ‘Buy Back Guarantee’ offer – and Hays Travel now has more than 400 forex consultants across its branches.
However, a total of 110,000 customers are buying their foreign currency elsewhere, Rayner said, which means there is scope to drive sales further.
“It’s the full team’s responsibility to ensure the forex order is completed at the time of booking every time,” Rayner added.
One in 9.37 Hays retail branches is selling the Hays Travel Mastercard, the conference was told.
A prepaid currency card called ‘My Travel Card’ will be introduced in 2025 for Miles Morgan Travel and Travel House.
Hays Travel currently has 500 branches, with more set to open next year.