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YOU NEED TO KNOW


AT A GLANCE


Some travel agency openings in January


 Liverpool and St Helens: Perfect Getaways


 Macclesfield, Cheshire: Henbury Travel


 Bellshill, Scotland: Love to Travel


 Neath, Wales: Tailor Made Travel


 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire: Hays Travel


New openings: Perfect Getaways has opened two stores in Merseyside; Love to Travel in Scotland; Henbury Travel in Cheshire


New agency openings defy high street’s retail gloom


Amie Keeley amie.keeley@travelweekly.co.uk


Independent travel agencies have defied the s hih street strules ith a flurry of shop openins this onth.


So far in January, new stores


have opened in Liverpool, cotland, acclesfield and ales. The openings come at a time


when slower consumer spending and online competition is hitting the high street. Last year saw the demise of


major retail chains including Toys R Us, Maplin and Carpetright, while others announced major restructures. V ent into administration after hristmas. Merseyside agency Perfect Getaways is one of a number of


independents to invest in bricks and mortar at the start of the year. The agency, owned and run by husband and wife Dave and Nicola Palmer, opened two new shops on Saturday – in St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool city centre and Church Square Shopping entre in t elens  taing their total numer of stores to five. ll five feature a ar, childrens


play area and seet shop. e see potential in the high


street, said ave. gents are unique because people come in to ton especially to oo a holiday. e are a it different ith the ar and activities. ustomers lie that. n acclesfield, heshire,


former Personal Travel Agents consultant Richard Slater opened his first shop, enury Travel, last week after 30 years as a travel


4travelweekly.co.uk10 January 2019


“When everybody is moaning about the high street, this is a positive story”


agent. The area around his ne store on Chestergate is tipped for regeneration and an upmarket food hall is due to open this year. ve seen an increase in people coming to [homeworking] with no experience, so I wanted to show my clients a more concrete business and give myself more of an identity with a shop,” Slater said. hen everyody is moaning about the high street, this is a positive story. In Scotland, Love to Travel


opened its third store, in Bellshill near Glasgow, on Saturday and


plans to open two more by the end of the year. ner Joanne ooey said Thomas Cook and Tui closures had created opportunities for her to open where multiples had left gaps and eperienced staff. “There is a return to the high


street, she said. m seeing more people ho


have tried online and realised they could have got us to do it for the same price ithout all the hassle. elsh miniple Tailor ade


Travel opened its 15th store, in eath, last ee. ner imon Morgan said high street footfall was down overall but agencies ere resilient.


“Location is important but


reputation even more so, he said. lsehere, ays Travel is to


open a store in uddersfield, est orshire, on January .


Have you opened a shop recently or do you have plans to? If so, please get in touch by emailing amie.keeley@ travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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