Miles Morgan Travel is to open a new branch in Somerset as it identifies opportunities for growth post-pandemic.
The store, in a ‘high profile location’ in the coastal town of Clevedon, is the agency’s 19th high street shop and will open in the run-up to Christmas, ahead of 2022’s peak sales season.
The miniple is currently recruiting for staff, including a manager and a full team of travel and foreign exchange consultants, for the store.
Managing director Mandy Shillito said the acquisition opportunity had been “in the right place, at the right time” for the company.
The agency has wanted to open in the town for some time and sees the town’s demographic as a “perfect fit” for Miles Morgan Travel.
Shillito said: “This is a high profile location and we are very excited about this store. Customers in the area will know us from our TV advertising and we expect the shop to be very successful, especially for cruise and escorted tours.”
After a tough 2020 and 2021 for the industry, the opportunity now for post-pandemic growth is “huge”, she said.
The group will continue to look at opportunities for ‘cautious expansion’ as and when they arise while maintaining its company culture and personal touch with regards to communication with customers, she said.
“Customers are returning to face-to-face booking because of the trust and reassurance that brings and high street rents are at an all-time low. We are always on the look-out,” added Shillito.
“It’s time for the brave and bold, and that’s us. We’ve handled the pandemic well, we are in a strong financial position and we see a bright future.”
EasyJet holidays’ decision to work with the trade and Jet2holidays’ recent announcement of a base at Bristol airport both influenced the group’s decision to expand, she said, adding that the closure of Tui branches in the area was also a factor. Shillito said: “It’s an exciting time to be a travel agent in our area.”
She added: “Cruise is a large part of our business. Our research has said it is going to bounce strongly from 2022 onwards and we want to take advantage of that opportunity in a core market where we already have a strong reputation.”
The miniple has also launched a recruitment drive to attract more staff for its 18 existing shops.
Shillito said: “Lots of our towns have seen closures by other travel agencies leaving a huge opportunity for us to grow. We need more amazing staff to take advantage of the opportunity this creates.
“Our business has been built successfully on the amazing people that work in it, we now need to attract more of them; people with a will to win, a happy attitude to life and most importantly a love of travel.”