NEWS ROUND-UP
Cambridgeshire start-up recruits ex-Cook staff
Ben Ireland
A start-up travel agency has opened its second branch just three months aſter its husband and wife owners entered the industry. Sunlounger Travel owners Iain
and Sally Kirkbright were inspired to start the business by travel agents they met on a beach while on holiday in the Bahamas. Now, they have opened a
branch in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire – adding to their shop at Arthur Business Park in the nearby village of March, which has a team of three led by ex-Thomas Cook agent Jo Francis. The Advantage Travel Partnership
member has recruited three more staff, including two former Thomas Cook employees, for the Wisbech branch. Iain, who has a background in
affiliate marketing, drew comparisons between his previous job and running an agency. “Operating a travel agency isn’t
Sunlounger’s new store in Wisbech
too dissimilar, it’s just a different product,” he said. “We haven’t got the necessary
travel experience to sell the holidays ourselves, but we have great people. While we don’t know all the ins and outs, we know how to run a business.”
POLKA PLACE: Polka Dot Travel has opened its 18th store on December 28 in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The agency is staffed entirely by former Thomas Cook agents – including manager Donna Jones (left) and assistant manager Tara Saunders (right) – and is just a few doors away from their old premises, which is now trading as Hays Travel. The agents hit the headlines when they set up a pop-up advice clinic for their customers in the wake of Cook’s collapse in September 2019. Jones said: “The support from the community has been amazing. We hope we keep growing and continue to reign in Longton.” Polka Dot Travel’s stores span Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and north Wales.
10 9 JANUARY 2020
travelweekly.co.uk He said that the close proximity to
Thomas Cook’s former headquarters in Peterborough made now a good time to recruit compared to when Sunlounger hired for its first branch, which opened on September 1. “When we first set up, we only
had a couple of people apply who I would class as good, whereas this time we had a lot,” he said. Iain said the agency specialises
in “higher-ticket” holidays in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean but sells “whatever customers ask for”. He said affordable rents had
enabled the quick expansion to a second branch, which opened on December 21. “It’s a good size in a good location
so we thought we’d snap it up and have it trading in time for peaks,” he added. “Wisbech has a busy marketplace
with plenty of footfall traffic, and the council holds a lot of events which bring people into the town.”
Harrogate-based agent Poole sets up Travel Journal
A travel agent with 21 years’ experience has started his own homeworking firm. Ben Poole, who launched The
Travel Journal on New Year’s Day, will meet clients in Harrogate’s iconic Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms. Prior to starting his business,
he spent 15 years working for Traveltalk, a luxury tailor-made agency in Harrogate. Poole hopes to take some
loyal clients but, to attract new customers, is advertising in lifestyle magazine Yorkshire Living and hosting events with operators. The Travel Journal’s name
plays on a storybook concept. “It’s as if this is my journal and I want to share it,” said Poole. “On my Instagram marketing I’m using Polaroid-style pictures – it’s like a collection of photographs with notes.” Poole has joined The Global
Travel Group. He hopes to employ a member of staff and open a retail premises in Harrogate later this year.
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