Aberdeen agency Butlers Travel toasts ‘overwhelming’ response to first shop

The founder of Aberdeen agency Butlers Travel has hailed an “overwhelming” response to the business’s first shop, which took 116 bookings worth a total of £442,000 in its first month.

Lee Butler, a Janine Loves Travel member who transitioned from a home-based model on July 3, said transaction values have nearly doubled compared with his homeworking performance.

He credited the impact of being able to offer a “welcoming” space for clients to book big-ticket trips.

“People want to see something above the door and look you in the eye,” he said. “If they’re spending £20,000 on a holiday, they want to know exactly who they’re trusting with it.”

Butler works in the Rosemount Viaduct premises alongside his partner Callum Brown, who left his own career to work full-time in the agency.

On the back of his first shop’s success, Butler has drawn up a plan to open a second store within two years and potentially a third within five.