High street agency Trailfinders has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to create a ‘lawn club’ area following a refurbishment of one of its London stores, which now focuses on cruise and premium travel.
The lawn club feature is a seating area with artificial grass surrounded by Celebrity Cruises brochures and promotional material. It reflects the half-acre of real grass on all Celebrity Solstice-class ships, which was introduced to create a “country club atmosphere”.
It follows an overhaul of the Kensington High Street shop in August, which was previously an administration base but now boasts a sleek minimalist design to reflect the luxury holidays on offer.
The transformation of the store was in response to increasing customer interest in cruise and, since the opening, the company has reported a surge in sales following years of steady growth.
Trailfinders has a second shop in the same high street that also underwent a refurbishment but focuses on worldwide travel.
Cruise director David Ness said: “Trailfinders had always sold cruise holidays, but as we saw a huge increase in interest we set up a dedicated cruise department.
“This was seven years ago and as business progressed we invested heavily in the refurbishment of one of our Kensington stores. Since transforming it we have had an even larger up-take in cruise interest.”
Ness put the increase in cruise sales down to a generational change among customers, and said interest in cruising was increasing among new customers too.
“We have a lot of first-time customers, and previous customers who have never cruised before.
“It is all about how we can make the best of these holidays as our unique proposition is offering long-haul tailor-made holidays.
“We have got a close working relationship with Celebrity Cruises and the ‘lawn club’ area at the front of the shop is great exposure for what Celebrity can offer, and therefore the kind of premium cruise holiday we can tailor for our customers.”