Hays Travel North West has pledged to continue to look at opportunities to purchase travel agencies after buying two former World Travel Lounge branches.
The acquisition of the Blackpool and Preston branches of World Travel Lounge has increased Hays Travel North West’s retail chain to 46 high street stores across the northwest, north Wales and Shropshire.
The Wrexham-based agency, a franchise partner of Hays Travel, has retained all eight staff from the two ex-World Travel Lounge branches.
More: Hays Travel North West snaps up two World Travel Lounge branches
Managers at Hays Travel North West return to shop floor
Managing director Don Bircham said the group would “continue to look at opportunities” for further growth and said the focus was on acquisition rather than opening new branches.
He said: “Expansion is now driven by purchasing [opportunities] rather than opening greenfield sites and that will certainly be the way forward for the time being until such time as people are available to come and work in travel.
“Rents are lower at the moment but [contracting staff] is a lot more challenging than it was. I don’t want to dilute staffing levels.”
There are some who will exit travel after a tough two years. They are the people we want to talk to
Bircham said Hays Travel North West was keen to talk to agency owners looking to sell and had already had “one or two calls”.
“It’s a hard time in terms of cashflow,” he said. “There are some people who will exit the industry after a tough two years. They are the people we want to talk to,” adding that “the right locations” would be key to any sale deal.
Managers from the two World Travel Lounge stores are currently going through a training process and formal Hays fascias will be put up once the legal process is complete.
Both stores are now trading as part of Hays Travel North West.
Bircham said: “These are great towns for us to open in. They are busy and local shopping hubs and we know from our experience elsewhere that locations like this suit our business model.”
World Travel Lounge’s remaining eight branches are in Fleetwood, Thornton-Cleveleys, Leyland, Formby, Crosby, Lytham, Knott End‑on-Sea and Spalding.
Managing director David McDonald said: “We’ve decided to concentrate our group on the high streets of smaller towns in the northwest. We wanted to realign our estate to fit with our future plans and Hays Travel’s retail footprint seemed a natural fit for us to approach them.
“All staff are being retained and it was really important for us that our colleagues would be looked after by a really strong company.”
More: Hays Travel North West snaps up two World Travel Lounge branches