Beaver Travel
author: April Hutchinson Beaver Travel’s Andrew Devine, winner of the first TTG Top 50 Luxury Agency
award, charts his path from selling fruit to creating a market-leading business
Pick of the bunch W
orking in a greengrocers on Radlett’s pretty high street may not seem like the most auspicious
job in the world. Sure, it’s good honest work, but it’s a far cry from owning a high-turnover, multi-award winning luxury travel agency. In his teens, a fresh-faced Andrew Devine was
working hard at Radlett Fruitiers while studying travel and tourism at the local college and while he was set on travel, he wasn’t sure in exactly what capacity – that was until a customer at the greengrocers spotted his sales patter and cheery personality. It was the early 1990s, and that customer was Muriel Beaver, wife of Allan – something of a legend in the industry and author of Mind Your Own Travel Business, which I for one remember as being the “bible” when I first starting working in this often-complicated business. Muriel suggested Devine give working in the
travel agency a go, as the Beavers had not long opened their Radlett branch as a sister to their original Burnt Oak branch, which dated back to 1962. Not long afterwards, the Beavers were ready
to retire, resulting in Andrew and his friend and colleague Gary Green having the idea of buying the business from them. Still in their early 20s, it was a big leap for them, but one taken with great faith that they could carry the Beaver reputation forward. Not long into running the business, the pair
realised there was a lot of work going into planning holidays for all and sundry, but not
make it even more luxurious and give a good arrival experience – like a Four Seasons’ lobby or a boutique hotel feel, but most importantly, make people feel at home,” says Devine. Quite often, customers aren’t even local or
may not ever even come into the shop. “I guess in theory we could be anywhere in terms of location, but people do like to be able to drop in when and if they can,” he says. Key to Beaver Travel’s success has been its focus on the top 20% of its customers – the
“I always look at a problem as an opportunity to wow the client” Andrew Devine
always corresponding levels of profit – their solution was to take the plunge even further and take Beaver to new territory so it could focus on selling much higher-end travel.
The next level Keeping the name, they moved into bigger premises in 1998 and kitted it out with a more luxury vibe; cream leather furniture and funky glass desks. And now – it’s time for another change, with another restyle planned imminently. “I want to take it to the next level I guess,
loyal high-spenders who probably book four times a year and spend £60-80,000. These are the ones the Beaver staff will go
to the ends of the earth for to make sure they have the best service and holiday. In a room behind the main agency sits Amanda Dover – Beaver’s “magic lady”, who acts as a concierge for these best customers, ably assisted by Naomi Holmstock. “It’s the old rule of 20% of your customers
bringing 80% of the business and those being the ones you have to look after the most,” says Devine.
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TTGLUXURY.COM SUMMER 2016 BUSINESS OF TRAVEL
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