The Merseyside-based agency reported bookings generated more than £22.5 million in the financial year which ran from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, with commission payments reaching £2.3 million.
Speaking exclusively to TTG about the agency’s growth targets, co-director Dave Palmer outlined plans to open 10 more shops in the next three years and hit £28 million in sales this time next year.
“We want to double the number of shops we have now by 2028 – that’s the plan,” he said, adding: “I’ve got another three shop locations in my mind.”
He revealed the business is looking to acquire existing agencies in the Merseyside and Cheshire areas.
“We’re looking for individuals who are looking to sell up and get out of travel,” Dave continued. “We’ve not approached anyone because we’ve been so focused on getting our last few shops up and running. That is taking up a lot of our time.”
Read how Perfect Getaways staff sing to drive new business
Perfect Getaways has recently expanded its footprint with two new shop openings in quick succession. The Kirby branch opened in July before the Bebington branch opened in early October.
When asked how the agency had managed to expand so quickly, he said: “I think our growth is down to both the retail landscape and hard work.”
But he admitted back-to-back successful recruitment drives had meant the agency had achieved its targets quicker than expected.
“We opened Kirkby and that did really well so two months later we opened Bebington which was not really our plan,” said Dave. “We managed to fill Kirkby with staff straight away and that happened with Bebington too.
“To be honest, we’ve not had recruitment a problem recently. That is a really strong position to be in because it means we’re able to pick the best applicants.”
Dave added: “When we were opening Kirkby we had over 100 applicants for four positions – not all of them were travel-trained. People can see how fun it is to work for us.
“When we opened Widnes two or three years ago, we could not find anyone to run it for six months. That was a nightmare, but there has been an about-turn. I imagine if we opened a store 50 miles outside of Merseyside it might be difficult.”
Communities ‘massively’ buy into us
When asked if Perfect Getaways would open a shop outside Merseyside, Dave said: “Never say never. I never thought I would open a shop on the Isle of Man, but here we are.”
Co-director Nicola Palmer highlighted how local communities “massively” bought into having a travel agency on their high street.
“When customers visit our travel agents, they are treated to an experience as if it is the start of their holiday, with complimentary bars, kids’ cinema rooms, sweet shops, games consoles, large-screen TVs, and more,” she said. “We now plan to roll this concept out on a much bigger scale.”
On the subject of opening a homeworker division, Dave said: “We’ve been approached about starting a homeworking business, but I don’t want to spread ourselves too thinly.
“I would rather be brilliant at one thing. I might return to the idea of starting a homeworking division in the next 12 months. But I would rather get some more shops up and running.”
