Polka Dot Travel has credited an ambitious branch manager for the opening of its first shop since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The miniple now has a portfolio of 15 branches following the opening in Crewe, Cheshire, and has not ruled out further expansion if opportunities arise.
Director Mark Johnson said the company considered its latest opening following a suggestion by one of its existing branch managers who lives in the town.
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Jess Thornhill, manager of the Newcastle-under-Lyme branch, even offered to become a dual-branch manager to make the expansion possible after suggesting the location in a former Thomas Cook store that had lain empty since the travel giant’s collapse in 2019.
“Jess came to us because she lives in Crewe and saw the opportunity there. She offered to manage both branches and find the staff,” said Johnson. “When you have got an ambitious, high-quality manager, it is a no-brainer.
“Crewe has been on our list. There is a good market there. We have not been in a rush to expand but we saw this as an opportunity so we took it.”
The shop, which opened on Christmas Eve with three staff, is already trading well, he added.
In terms of future expansion of the chain, which stretches across the Midlands from Lichfield near Birmingham to Bangor in north Wales, Johnson said: “We’re still looking to expand on the high street, but we don’t have numbers in mind.
“We are not proactively looking, but we have got our eyes and ears open; we will look at Cheshire if we see opportunities in that area.”
Johnson described Covid as “the reset button” for Polka Dot Travel, forcing it to rein in further expansion of its high street shops and focus on growing sales through its existing portfolio.
Prior to Covid the agency had 19 branches. After the pandemic it did not reopen five of its branches and instead opened a call centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, where eight staff now take calls driven by social media leads, when branches are busy and in the evening.