Shakeel Ahmed, owner and managing director of 7Seas Holidays, decided to take action after he started to see business dwindle at the agency’s previous base in Wandsworth, south-west London.
The agency, which made the TTG Top 50 in 2022 after being named one of the top agencies in the capital, reopened in Surbiton on Saturday (1 February) a few miles down the road in Surbiton.
"A couple of months ago, we decided to look for an alternative location as our lease in Wandsworth was coming to an end,” Ahmed told TTG. “Luckily, we managed to find a shop in such a busy location."
The new store is located Surbiton’s busy high street, Victoria Road, near the railway station, and is set among a number of fellow independent traders on the street.
Ahmed characterised the new location as "more upmarket than Wandsworth" and, crucially, currently lacking a high street travel agency presence. "There was a Flight Centre, but that has been shut down for a while," he said.
7Seas invited several dignitaries to the event on Saturday, including mayor of Kingston borough councillor Liz Green and her deputy councillor Elizabeth Park, who cut the ribbon.
Ahmed told TTG the shop would focus on selling land and cruise holidays, adding he was planning to recruit two additional members of staff to double the size of the 7Seas team to four.
"I will look to recruit experienced people as the market in Kingston is different [from Wandsworth],” Ahmed explained. “I think people in the area will be more interested in dealing with experienced staff.”
Looking ahead, Ahmed said he hadn’t ruled out expanding in the coming years, although he stressed his first priority was to get the Surbiton shop going.
"I hope we can do something in the next couple of years, but the Surbiton shop will be the focus this year," he added.
