Jet2holidays awards thousands to agencies opening new shops

Jet2holidays has awarded thousands of pounds to 12 travel agencies in support of their efforts to open an additional shop.

The tour operator held its inaugural ‘Scale Up Your Street’ event yesterday (June 11) in Leeds, with agencies pitching for a maximum of £10,000 towards marketing costs for a new branch.

Alan Cross, director of travel agent relationships at Jet2holidays, said: “The high street is anything but dead – the high street is vibrant if you get the right shop in the right location.”

Noting the “power of retail”, he pointed to a strong market.

He added: “The homeworking market is growing and it now accounts for 22% of everything we’re doing, but the retail market is far from dead.

“What they’ve got to do is find ways of diversifying, rejuvenating the high street, encouraging their local councils to look at benefits to consumers to come back into the high street – and in some areas they’re stronger than they’ve ever been.”

He went on to praise the entrants for their innovation and the scale of their ambition.

A total of 118 agencies applied for up to £10,000 in the competition, with 12 businesses making the shortlist.