Speaking to TTG, managing director Sam Ballard revealed he has been searching for the “perfect” premises in Regent Street in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, since the beginning of the year.
The Leamington Spa shop will open in November and will operate alongside Club Voyages’ first shop in Leicester’s Clarendon Park last year as well as the business’s homeworkers.
Ballard said: “I’ve been really specific with my searches and where I want the shop. There’s a place called Regent Street that has really high-end brands on it. There’s a Gail's Bakery, a Farrow & Ball and a Vitsoe.
“They’re all brands that we see ourselves alongside as a premium travel agency and tour operator.”
Ballard said he wants to “piggy back” on the back of neighbouring brands in the towns where Club Voyages branches open.
“It’s not about being anywhere, it’s about being in the right position,” he continued. “Retail has its own benefits and advantages but having a shop adds a layer of authenticity.
“There are so many different online players these days, a lot of customers are wary. Having a high street presence definitely adds that credibility.”
Ballard said the rent for the Leamington Spa premises is “higher” in Leicester, but insisted he doesn’t mind if the site fits in with Club Voyages’ retail strategy.
Club Voyages will be competing for bookings with a Carrick Travel branch and a Hays Travel shop in Leamington Spa.
“Our Leamington Spa shop really does feel like a natural step. It’s a really exciting time,” he added. “I don’t want our expansion to stop here. I’m not regionally tied but I prefer towns over cities. I think it feels a bit different in cities.”
When asked how much of a focus his homeworking division is, Ballard said: “We’re definitely not taking our foot off the gas with homeworking. We currently have 22 at the moment – and the plan is to grow to 30 homeworkers by the end of the year.
“We grow very carefully and we turn people down. It’s important that the agent is the right fit for us and we’re the right fit for the agent. I don’t want to have an agency that has 1,000 homeworkers. All of our homeworkers are incredible.”
To maintain the high levels of support Club Voyages offers its homeworkers, Ballard has arranged for luxury travel sales coaches Helen Roberts, formerly of Kuoni, and Ben Blackler, who previously worked across the industry for several firms including Black Tomato, to deliver a training session on 11 December.
“We don’t want the offering for homeworkers to be diluted,” he said.
He hailed the support of Club Voyages homeworker Samantha Prendeville, who helps with administration, and the agency’s consortium, Hays Independence Group.
“The amount of time I spend on each part of the business definitely fluctuates. Currently most of my time is spent with the homeworkers,” said Ballard. “They still represent most of the business. It’s really important the homeworkers have a direct line through to me. I’m quite hands on. I talk to them regularly.”
