Seaside Travel has revealed its 11th branch will open in Bishop Auckland in Durham before Christmas while a 12th shop is already in the pipeline.
The agency chain has already outlined plans to double in size to become a 20-branch network and said it has plans to open at least three shops in the next 12 months.
The group had said its next shop could open before Christmas, and has now confirmed the news. The Bishop Auckland branch will open in a former sweet shop in the market town and is currently being refitted before it opens as Seaside Travel.
The agency has launched a recruitment drive for five staff, including a branch manager and four sales staff.
Brand manager Richard Lowrey-Heywood said the Bishop Auckland location had been on Seaside Travel’s wish list for some time, adding the news had been welcomed by staff.
“It’s got the right vibe and staff who live in the area say we couldn’t have picked a better place. It’s really exciting,” he said, adding: “We know the area and genuinely don’t think we will struggle to recruit. As soon as we put a post up about it we had phone calls and emails.”
The agency doesn’t require new starters to have a travel background, he added.
In reference to the personality needed for the job, he said: “They just have to be a ‘Seasider’. They have to be able to talk to the talk to the customer the way we do; we pride ourselves on our service.
“If they ‘get’ our company they will fit in, we can teach them the rest.”
Lowrey-Heywood hinted another branch, number 12, was also due to open in the near future.
He said: “There is another shop pending. We have got a shopping list of locations where we want a presence and that we think will suit Seaside. We like little villages and mining towns.”
The company, which opened it 10th branch in Guisborough in the summer (pictured), has just celebrated 21 years’ trading and held a Halloween-themed party to celebrate and thank staff for their hard work.