The new additions include head of sales Luke Roberts; partnerships executive Lauren Joyner; content and website manager Vicky McNeil; Amanda Parker, head of TV and content; CRM manager Wayne Pashley; senior graphic designer Darren Woodcock and partnerships managers Ryan Norman and John Poulton.
Their recruitment was confirmed after Panache organised a open day to discuss possible employment opportunities at the luxury cruise retailer. Both Travel Republic and Netflights brands have recently been sold to Spanish online travel agency Destinia.
Panache confirmed the new additions bring more than 150 years' experience to the Chorley-based business.
James Cole, founder and chief executive of Panache Cruises, said the recruitment drive reflected a "significant six-figure investment" but would enable the business to bring forward its international expansion plans.
Cole said: “The travel industry is very close knit and dnata Travel Group is only based a few miles away in Leyland so we quickly became aware of their plans to close Travel Republic and Netflights.
“My first thought was for the people who may lose their jobs. Then I realised there were going to be some good people looking for roles so I made contact to see how we could help and it snowballed from there.
“We weren’t looking to hire. We’d done all our recruitment for the financial year 2025/26 to hit our current business plan.
“However, we reached out, organised an open day and here we are."
'Ambitious' international plans
Cole said the eight new staff are "really good people both in the roles that they do but also in travel" before adding they are all based near to Panache’s head office.
“These opportunities aren’t going to come up very often," Cole said, adding: "We’re a growing business and this will enable us to bring forward our international expansion plans.
“We’ve got ambitious plans to grow our sales in the US and establish a presence in both Australia and Canada."
In January, Panache also announced the recruitment of Wendi Hardy to a newly created events and customer loyalty manager role.
In her new position, Hardy takes a lead on a new programme of in-person and virtual customer events, as well as Panache's loyalty and VIP experience initiatives.
The news comes after Panache agreed a £2.75m refinance package with HSBC UK.
Panache Cruises has grown turnover by 64% to £43m in the last 12 months – and is on track to top £50m in revenue by the end of its financial year in May 2026.
