NEWS
Tui’s Stephen Bracegirdle says: ‘It’s clear that even in a digital age, the option to visit a store remains an important part of the holiday booking journey for many’
Travel sector hailed for ‘bucking the retail trend on the high street’
Andrew McQuarrie
Travel agencies have been described as “the success story of the retail industry” after a post-pandemic raft of shop openings continued into 2024. Hays Travel, Tui and Barrhead
Travel are among the nationwide companies that have invested in new retail premises over the past year, with businesses continuing to report high demand for face-to-face bookings alongside other channels. Confidence has also been shown
STORY TOP High street newcomers include
Club Voyages and Revells Travel, while firms including Deben Travel, Swords Travel, Travel Zing and Colletts Travel have either moved to bigger premises or returned to bricks and mortar after the pandemic. Barrhead Travel president
Jacqueline Dobson said: “The continued growth of independent agencies on the high street is a real sign of confidence for the wider industry. “Travel continues to buck
the trend on the high street this year and agents are clearly the
by the growing footprint of smaller agencies such as Seaside Travel, which opened its 10th store last month with expansion into North Yorkshire. Other companies to open new
branches this year include Althams Travel, Fred Olsen Travel, Travelbag, Braunton Travel, Your Co-op Travel, Tivoli Travel and Perfect Getaways.
travelweekly.co.uk
success story of the retail industry.” Barrhead plans to open a second
shop in Northern Ireland by the end of 2024 and said it had supported three members of its Brilliant Travel division with retail expansion this year. Retail openings over the past 12
months have continued a trend seen immediately after the pandemic, with agencies last year citing demand
and a drop in high street rents as incentives for expansion (Travel Weekly, September 21, 2023). However, the ongoing
momentum has come in spite of challenges faced by the retail sector as a whole, with a report published by the House of Commons Library last month pointing to a “long period of upheaval” and a trend towards retail closures and online shopping accelerated by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Tui has opened nine stores in
the past year, bringing its network to 331 branches, while Hays Travel’s estate currently stands at 498 shops following openings in Sutton, Leeds Briggate, Gainsborough and Bromley and the acquisitions of Just Go Travel, Travel House and Miles Morgan Travel. Stephen Bracegirdle, head of retail
at Tui, said the response to its new shops had been “overwhelmingly positive”, with many customers
sharing how much they appreciated face-to-face interactions. “It’s clear that even in a digital age,
the option to visit a store remains an important part of the holiday booking journey for many,” he added. Hays Travel retail director
Jane Schumm said the business “continued to look for opportunities” following “significant growth”, adding: “We know that many people want the reassurance of discussing options and booking with an agent, and value the expertise and peace of mind our agents provide, so it is important to us that we are visible in communities to help our customers.” Stephanie Slark, director of
membership services at The Travel Network Group, confirmed some members had added stores or relocated to larger premises on the high street this year. However, she said some had opted to move from retail premises to offices as they shifted to an appointment-only approach.
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PICTURE: Shutterstock/William Barton
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