An estate agency franchise group which operates a hybrid model has launched a copycat model for the travel industry aimed at attracting 34 agency owners within a year.
The Good Estate Agent Franchise, founded by Rob Bryer with wife Sue (pictured), has diversified into travel with the launch of The Good Travel Franchise.
The company has joined Advantage Managed Services (AMS), the managed service division of the travel agency consortium Advantage Travel Partnership. It officially started training on October 5 with 12 franchisees, all homeworkers.
Bryer, who registered domain names thegoodtravelagent.co.uk and thegoodtravelagent.co.uk in 2011, said he felt confident the success and flexibility of the estate agency model could be replicated in the travel sector.
He said “I’ve always believed in pushing boundaries and expanding horizons. The Good Travel Franchise is a testament to that. As we embark on this journey, I eagerly anticipate forging new relationships with industry suppliers and leaders. Together, with our robust franchise network, we aim to set new standards in the travel sector.”
New franchise owners pay a monthly fee, which includes training, administrative support, commercial agreements with suppliers, card merchant fees, Abta membership, access to annual conferences and an online travel money shop.
With the administrative side of the business handled via its membership of AMS, members can focus on day to day operations. Agents can earn a commission split with head office of up to 75% from day one.
Five of the initial franchise owners also had a franchise with The Good Estate Agent while two have worked in the travel industry previously, chief executive Jake Cullum-Hollins and head of franchise support Kat Freeman.
The estate agent franchise owners who have joined are now working as both estate agents and travel agents.
Cullum-Hollins has more than 10 years’ experience in the travel industry, working for both Thomas Cook and Tui. Freeman started her career at Going Places 25 years ago and has worked in numerous roles since, including as a holiday rep and in travel insurance, reservations and managing holiday lets.
Freeman said: “With two of our team members boasting an impressive track record in the travel industry, this felt like the right moment [to launch].”
The group is open to new start-up agencies as well as those who have worked in travel before, for which two years’ experience is expected as a minimum.
Freeman added: “We now have 12 franchisees in total who are all homeworkers, most of whom have no experience in travel.
“In the first 12 months we are aiming to recruit 34 franchise owners with the aim to keep growing after that. We are open to all agent types and offer different training for those who are new and those who have previous experience as a travel agent.”
The Advantage Travel Partnership chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes welcomed the company to its managed services division.
She said: “They are already fully utilising our commercial offering and taking advantage of all the products and services we have to offer. It’s a great compliment that they’ve chosen to partner with us, and we are really looking forward to helping them grow as a business.”
The Good Travel Franchise has also pledged to contribute 10% of its profits to green initiatives, which it said aimed to offset carbon emissions produced by the industry and reflected its commitment to sustainable travel.