The £1 million 1,500 square feet store is located at the busiest entrance of the Eldon Square Shopping Centre in Newcastle and will create 20 new jobs.

As well as the latest store design, the shop will also have a foreign exchange bureau, a international flight centre and offer a bespoke travel service.

Barrhead Travel currently supports franchise branches trading independently in the north east but the Newcastle store will be the first distinct branded store in the area as the agency seeks to expand across the UK.

Sharon Munro, chief executive of Barrhead Travel, said: “As we grow and develop as a business, it’s vital for us to invest in job creation and in developing our reach in England.

“We have a strong network of stores across the UK and we believe that the north east is an area that will help us build on our success.

“We’ve had a very positive first half of 2015 and we’re certain that unveiling a store in Newcastle will strengthen our portfolio.

“The level of investment and the number of jobs we are creating demonstrates that we are continuing to grow the business and strengthen our team.”

Barrhead announced its UK expansion plans at the start of the year so no doubt this will be the first of many new branches