Barrhead to expand in Yorkshire
Barrhead Travel has confirmed new stores will open in Leigh and Selby as it strengthens its presence in the Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire regions.
The stores are expected to open in the next few months. Separately, its latest store has opened in Doncaster.
Following on from last year’s announcement that the Glasgow-based travel company will add up to 100 new stores to its retail portfolio, five branches have already opened their doors to customers with another 15 expected to launch by end of March.
Leigh and Selby bring the total number of confirmed locations to 17, with geographical regions ranging from Liverpool and the North West to southern stores such as Isle of Wight and Plymouth.
Barrhead Travel’s industry recruitment efforts have resulted in more than 100 former Thomas Cook employees joining the expansion as well as a number of experienced travel professionals from various backgrounds.
The recruitment campaign will continue during 2020 as the dedicated expansion team continues to pursue new regions and locations.
Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel said: "We are very pleased with the progress of our expansion. Looking at the branches we have opened, it’s clear that there is a genuine appetite for trusted travel experts in the local communities where we now have a presence.
"Our new stores are performing exceptionally well with a number of them already exceeding targets set – in some cases, over 100% of January’s target has already been achieved.
"We’ve taken an atypical approach to our expansion by recruiting our people before we confirm the premises. For us, the most important element of this expansion project is to find the right people who are talented and really passionate about what they do.
"Securing retail units, completing all the legalities and commissioning a refit takes time. In locations where store launches are still in progress, the teams have been busy reconnecting with their local communities by selling holidays through social media and pop-up shops.
"The uptake in towns where we have temporary pop-ups, while the finishing touches to the stores are being done, has been really amazing."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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