Get to know the community

Seaside Travel has one of travel's less orthodox growth stories. After successfully operating out of a single branch in Easington, County Durham, for around 15 years, owner Nicola Park (second from left) opened her second store in 2016, went into the pandemic with four, and now has 12. Her vision is for 20.

"After years spent establishing the brand and our reputation, Nicola just got a feeling and decided to really go for it," brand manager Richard Lowrey-Haywood tells TTG. "It's second nature now, the management team know exactly what needs to be done with each new store – who's speaking to the mayor, who's ordering the business cards, and so on."

Lowrey-Haywood says this allows Park to be more discerning when it comes to further openings. “Nicola will go and spend a few nights in towns we're eyeing up to get a feel for whether a shop could work there. Getting to know local communities is important so they know what you can offer them."

Invest in talent and loyalty

Andrew Earle has made the jump twice – first with his own Andrew Earle's Holidays brand, which he founded in 1993 and now has three branches, and again with Holidays by Design, which opened its doors in Cleethorpes in 2017 before expanding to Brigg in 2021. “You need to have good, loyal people – and you need to invest in them," he tells TTG.

It was this focus on talent that led to Earle's involvement in Holidays by Design. When he approached Julia Fairfield to work at his Hull branch, she told him to open an agency in Cleethorpes instead and asked whether her friend Rebecca Wright could get involved. Together, they now run the two-branch agency. "It's a real success story," he says.

For Earle, location is key. His three stores are all within a 10-mile radius, while the two Holidays by Design stores are a short hop over the Humber estuary. “Don't spread yourself too thin," he warns. "People need to know who you are, and you also need to be able to reach them easily and spend time with them."

Know your worst-case scenario

Market Place Travel opened in Burton upon Trent in 2018 and expanded to a second shop in Richmond, Yorkshire, five years later.

Joint managing director Mark Lomas says before they look to expand, agents should work out whether a new store can still be profitable when the going gets tough.

"Sit down, work out your figures, and if – in your worst-case scenario – you’re at least able to cover your overheads and a bit more, then by no question go for it,” he insists.

Lomas adds agents don't need to reinvent the wheel when they grow. "We mirrored what we did in the first shop for the second," he explains. "We didn't have any major obstacles as Market Place Travel is such as clear brand."

It's easier the second time

Gillian Polyhos (right) and Joanne Edwards (left) set up their agency in Polyhos's spare bedroom in 2015 and opened their first store in the village of Cross Hills six months later. They expanded to Barrowford in 2018, but Covid forced its closure in August 2021.

Three-and-a-half years later, Olive Lounge is back up to two branches; its new Bingley store, opened in November 2024 in a former sweet shop, is the only agency in town. Polyhos advises other agents to go with their gut.

"Just do it. If you’ve got the drive and ambition, you’ll make it work," she says. "It’s easier the second time, but you still get teething problems because it comes with a different demographic. You have to think about new ways of bringing in business.”

The Bingley branch is the town's first high street agency for eight or nine years, which meant a bigger marketing effort. "A lot of people thought we were a brand-new business rather than an established one, but we’re doing really well there," Polyhos adds.

Establishing a brand takes time

JF Travel's second branch came four years after its first. Owner Jonny Fielding reveals the main lesson he learned with his agency in Northern Ireland was how long it takes, and the effort required, to build up and consolidate a brand.

"The second shop might not initially be as successful as the first one, it takes time to cement yourself," he tells TTG after expanding to his third store late last year. Fielding is targeting 10 by the time he is 40. 

"It’s easier to grow a business somewhere you are already known – when you move, you are a stranger, and it’s slightly harder. Once you have that second shop, going to a third one is easier because you’re really starting to establish the brand."

Like Earle, Fielding suggests keeping your agency network "in close proximity" so people can move around to address any staffing issues. "It means you can move staff from [shop] A to [shop] B and people don’t have to travel too far."

Make sure to seize your moment

It was 19 years before Conexo Travel took the plunge, expanding from York suburb Haxby to the city's busy Gillygate thoroughfare. “It was an opportunity after Covid,” says owner David Carruthers. "There was a very good Wallace Arnold store that closed. I knew they did well and were very good with cruise, which is one of our things. I felt there was a gap in York all of a sudden.”

He advises: “Do your homework. Think about where you want to be, don’t just open for the sake of it. We were aware the demographic [in the city centre] would be different. It's younger. Our Haxby shop is more professional and academic, we have to balance it. We try different things with the window displays."

Carruthers warns staffing was another consideration. "Travel lost a lot of talent to other industries during Covid," he says. "Replacing them is a challenge because more and more work from home. We recruited from outside the industry – it has its challenges, but we train them in our ways." 

Get your staffing levels right

Having the right number of staff from the outset is crucial when growing an agency business, according to Destination Travel co-owner Shevaun Joy.

The Yorkshire agency expanded into neighbouring Lancashire late last year with its second branch after Joy and co-owner Lisa Manditsch's youngest daughters started secondary school.

However, the team were initially so stretched, staff were working at both Destination Travel shops in Silsden and Barnoldswick. "We sorted the shop and the staffing came second," she recalls. "We were fine in December, but in January, we were running all over the place."

The team rallied, though, and a new member of staff in Barnoldswick has since helped ease the pressure.

Don't get hung up on perfection

For Beverley Travel directors Karl Douglas and Kelly Cheesman, "everything came together" perfectly to go from spotting potential new premises to opening their second shop in the space of about six weeks.

“Don’t think you have to do it perfectly, the important thing is to get the customer bit right," Douglas advises. "If you have a clear brand and know what you stand for, the shop doesn't have to be perfect."

Douglas insists it's not as "difficult or crazy" as it seems to go up in size, and advises having a checklist of things needed for a new start. 

He adds one of the most time-consuming, but ultimately rewarding, things for Beverley was getting the right tech in place. "Managing multiple apps and logins is the biggest, most difficult bit, but the whole system is really good."

Sometimes, it's just meant to be

Darren Owen often wondered whether the Welsh seaside town of Prestatyn was the right place for Snowdonia Travel's second branch.

But it wasn't until Prestatyn resident Sam Rickett joined the business as a homeworker that Owen decided to go ahead and seek "the right location at the right price" in the Flintshire town. 

"It's always a bit of a gamble opening a second shop – there are more overheads, more costs," says Owen. "At the beginning, you're often reliant on turnover from your existing shop and some strong late bookings."

Owen adds knowing the area and the clientele is vital, and praises Rickett for her input. "Sam did really well as a homeworker and she lives in Prestatyn," he says. "She now works full time for us in the store."