Althams Travel has revealed plans for significant expansion on the high street and the creation of a traditional homeworking division.
The travel agency chain, which currently has 31 branches, has outlined a target of 40 but with “no time frame or deadline”.
Managing director Sandra McAllister said the group was looking at locations near existing branches “along the M62 corridor” after putting expansion on hold during the pandemic.
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New branches are likely to be eight to 10 miles from existing branches. Harrogate is one area being “closely” looked at, while other areas with “potential” for new branches include Lymm and Sale in Cheshire.
McAllister said: “We are putting our [expansion] plans back on track.
“In 2019 we had decided to aim for 36 or 37 shops, but then Covid hit.
“We think it’s the right time. We are in a good place and the holiday demand is there. Retail agents have come out of Covid really well; people want that extra security and service.
“We have selected a couple of towns that we are currently looking at. We need to be where our name is known and we tend to plug gaps between our branches. Our strength is being a traditional travel agent based on good service and supporting the local community.”
The agency is looking to buy premises rather than rent, and has its own joinery business to fit out new branches.
The firm also hopes to establish a homeworking division of up to 20 self-employed agents.
Althams already has salaried homeworkers who act as a backup for its branches and handle out‑of‑hours calls.
“We are finding that our out-of‑hours services are getting swamped a bit,” said McAllister.
“Having commission-only homeworkers would increase revenues without increasing our costs.”
The group is likely to work on setting up a homeworking group later in the year, she said.