Holidaysplease says it is on track to return to “attractive but sustainable” growth of 15% to 20% from next year.
The homeworking agency held its first annual conference since 2019 in Daventry last week and reported record sales months for each month of the calendar year so far, with record departures in July and August alone accounting for £11 million of business.
Director Charles Duncombe said the business was not complacent and firms were right to be cautious about the economic outlook. But he said the agency’s strategy of retaining all staff during the pandemic meant it had been well-placed to capitalise on the recovery.
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“Coming up to Covid, we were a company that was growing steadily at around 15% to 20% and we are now projecting a return to growth along those lines from the start of next year,” he said.
“We felt a bit of softness in the market at the end of September and start of October and thought it was the start of a slowdown, but since then we have seen some incredibly strong days and are now back to tracking ahead of 2019.”
The company is looking to extend its network of homeworker partners, including offering an incentive of guaranteed income of £1,000 for three months for four to five new starters.
However, Duncombe said he envisaged growth coming from a combination of a slightly larger base of agents and benefits from enhanced technology, marketing and communications, including improved repeat business rates.
“We had expected the post-Covid bounce to die away in April or May, and we certainly didn’t expect it to last into September, so we have been pleasantly surprised,” he said.
“Average selling prices have also stayed above pre-pandemic levels, and that is likely to continue through higher prices rather than the voluntary additional spend we’ve seen to this point.”
Referring to a sales incentive which will see all agents and HQ staff taken to Mauritius next summer if targets are achieved, Duncombe told the conference: “Everything at the moment suggests we are bang on track.”
More: New recruits to be offered three-month earning guarantee by Holidaysplease
Sample pricing helps Holidaysplease improve conversion rates
Holidaysplease on track for financial recovery in coming months