Construction on Panache Cruises’ new office has begun as the agency prepares to quadruple the size of its premises.
The specialist agency, which won best small agency to work for at this year’s Agent Achievement Awards, told Travel Weekly it intends to grow its team from 40 to 50 by the end of the year, and has had to move to a bigger office to accommodate its staff.
Launched by Cruise118 co-founder James Cole in 2020, Panache Cruises was originally based in Cole’s garage with just a handful of staff.
More: Panache Cruises creates LGBTQ+ advocacy group
In August 2021, the business had grown to 15 people, prompting Cole to move the agency’s base to an office in Chorley.
Now, with more than 40 members of staff, the office is no longer big enough to accommodate everyone and, although the company offers flexible working, Cole has invested in a new premises in the same building which is expected to be ready by the end of September.
“The new space will be four times the size of our current office and I am very keen to make sure we have an office that people want to come and work in, rather than feel they have to,” he said.
“We are a totally flexible business so people can choose if and when they come into the office, but most of the team find it beneficial to come in a couple of days a week to spend time together, have meetings and bounce ideas of each other, so we need to have space to accommodate that.
“We are currently recruiting for roles across the business in the product team, customer services, sales, marketing and administration, so I expect we’ll have 50 staff by the end of the year.
“The new office can hold about 100 people so we’ve definitely got more growth plans in place, but we’ll have to see how the business develops and, hopefully, we can implement our longer term plan and see the company grow further.”
This week, Cole announced Panache Cruises has expanded to the US market with a new base in Texas.
When asked if he plans to expand into other regions, Cole said: “Let’s see how we get on in the US. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us and I’m really optimistic about what we can deliver there. Then we’ll see.”