Miles Morgan Travel to open 21st store in Somerset town

Miles Morgan Travel is preparing to open its 21st shop as it approaches its second anniversary under parent company Hays Travel.

The travel agency chain will open in Frome, Somerset, in the next few months. It will be the second new shop since its acquisition by Hays in May 2024, after opening in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, a year ago.

Managing director Mandy Shillito described the market town of Frome as the “perfect location” for Miles Morgan Travel, and said the brand was already known locally thanks to daily regional TV advertising.

“It’s exciting to be opening a new shop. We’ve had our eye on Frome for a while. It has the right demographic and will strengthen our presence in the area. It is a natural progression for us,” she said.

The shop, due to open in a central location in the town, is recruiting for a shop manager, three consultants, an apprentice and a foreign exchange consultant.

Shillito has not ruled out further expansion but said there was no set target. “We’re always looking for opportunities but it’s got to be the right location, in a town with our demographic,” she said.

She said Miles Morgan was set to report “another record [financial] year” under Hays’ ownership and was tapping into the parent company’s apprenticeship programme and foreign exchange campaigns. 

She admitted the Iran war had impacted sales “like everyone” but said: “Customers are still making big bookings for further-out departures.”

She insisted: “As a business we remain as strong and successful as we’ve always been. Our teams are very stable, with zero vacancies. I’m really proud of them.”

The agency’s second cohort of nine apprentices will start in September, ready for the January 2027 peak sales period. “We took on a similar number last year and really benefited from this opportunity to develop future stars. We put them in shops where we see potential growth,” she said. 

Similarly, the agency has adopted more Hays campaigns in the last 12 months to promote foreign exchange bureaux. “We’ve done more focused campaigns than before,” she added.

The chain is set to run 160 events across its shops this year as well as travel shows such as its Cheltenham cruise show, and has 21 escorted group tours planned. It is also recruiting for another group escort to expand its tours business further.