CK Travel Trade and We Do Travel, both of which are based in Scotland, follow in the footsteps of former franchisees Andy Holbrook and Lewis Miller, who teamed up last year to become the first to transition from Explorer to Hays IG with their agency WorldLuxe Travel.
Chris Stark-Proctor, who opened Aberdeenshire agency CK Travel Trade in Fraserburgh with business partner Kevin Christie last November, said the pair had enjoyed a busy start to their retail journey.
“We have made a cracking start and Scotland qualifying for the World Cup has really helped us," he said. "At one point, we had seven customers in our little shop at the same time. It has always been a dream to have a branch. I wish we had done it from the start. It really has been brilliant."
Husband and wife team David and Eilidh McKerry opened their first We Do Travel branch in Dumbarton in December. David, an engineer by trade, went full time with the business two years ago with Eilidh, who is a qualified chartered accountant.
"We were over the moon," said David. "It was an easy move for us to take our business forward as part of the Hays Travel Independence Group. We are enjoying peaks, and we want to continue the steady growth we have seen.”
Harriet Thompson, head of Hays IG, said both businesses had been "extremely successful" Explorer franchises. "We look forward to working in partnership with them as they take this next big step towards realising their business ambitions."
WorldLuxe was last year honoured with the Hays IG Newcomer of the Year award at the group's annual overseas conference. "The move to the independence group has allowed us to grow our businesses and operate more flexibly," said Holbrook. "It was a real surprise to be presented with the award at conference. It was brilliant.”
Miller added: "It is great to see businesses develop and join the independence group. The move has given us a great platform to expand. The next ambition is to grow our homeworking division over the next 12 months.”
Thompson added: “WorldLuxe Travel has become a great blueprint of what ambitious entrepreneurs can achieve as part of our group, and I congratulate Andy and Lewis on their award following their seamless integration."
