5 2


Travelbag names Rollo as new MD


Juliet Dennis juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk


Travelbag has appointed Hayes & Jarvis boss Lesley Rollo to be its next managing director amid plans to more than double its high street shop network. The dnata-owned tailor-made


operator aims to open three shops a year over the next three years, growing from six to 15 stores. These will include a new store in


London to replace its High Street ensington ofϐice and another in


the north of England. Rollo, managing director of


Travelopia brands Hayes & Jarvis and Austravel, is tasked with spearheading “a new era” for Travelbag when she joins the operator in April. Travelbag’s website is also set to be overhauled. John Bevan, chief executive of


dnata Travel Europe, who has been seeking to ϐill the role since he took up his position last year, aims to take the 40-year-old company “back to its roots” as “a specialist, tailor-made operator with a strong, high street presence”. The company is targeting 50% growth in turnover over the next


three years. Bevan said: “We have some very exciting plans for Travelbag in 2019, the brand’s 40th anniversary. “I’m very pleased that from the


spring, someone of Lesley’s calibre will be at the helm to lead the business into its next chapter. “Lesley has an unrivalled


pedigree, bags of energy and some invaluable experience – she’s a critical piece of the jigsaw and we’re all looking forward to her coming on board.” He added: “Travelbag has


been doing OK but it hasn’t been beneϐiting from the growth in the specialist holiday market; we are ϐixing thatǤdz The operator is known


traditionally as a specialist to Australia and New Zealand. Its branches are in Alton, Solihull, Cheltenham, Brighton, Knutsford and Winchester. It also has three call centres, in Preston, Solihull and Chester, and 12 homeworkers nationwide. Travelbag became part of dnata


in 2014 when dnata acquired Stella Travel Services. Rollo joined Hayes & Jarvis in


2005. She previously worked for Thomas Cook and Airtours.


Jill (left) and Emily Trumble outside their converted burger van trailer in Chelmsford


Pop-up agents pull in trailer cash


Amie Keeley amie.keeley@travelweekly.co.uk


A mother and daughter-run agency has more than doubled its takings after setting up shop in a trailer in a city centre to avoid costly business rates. Daughter Emily Trumble and


mother Jill Trumble of Encore Travel pitched their pop-up mobile agency in Chelmsford High Street, ssexǡ on the ϐirst two weekends


of the year. So far this month, they have turned over £91,000, up from £42,000 in 2018. Emily set up the business, a


Travelbag aims to have 15 stores by 2022


Travel Trust Association member, three years ago having worked for Thomas Cook and Best at Travel in London. She mainly works from an ofϐice at home with her motherǤ “I’ve been doing wedding and country shows and decided I needed to branch out and get on the high street, but I couldn’t afford the business rates in Chelmsford,” she said. “I ran a branded Jet2holidays’ mobile trailer in 2016 and thought ‘this is fantastic, how can I do this myself?’” A new trailer costs about £25,000, but Emily’s father, who is


”We’ve doubled our takings and the phone hasn’t stopped”


a builder, sourced a former burger van and renovated it. “We’ve doubled our takings and


the phone hasn’t stopped,” she said. “People who walked past on the Saturday are coming back on the Sunday to see us.” Suppliers including Premier


Holidays, AMResorts and Jet2holidays, as well as cruise lines, have sent representatives and provided branding. Emily has booked the pitch for


£100 a day through the council for every weekend in January, the ϐirst weekend of ebruary and every two weeks until June. Emily said there was only one


other independent agency nearby, located in a shopping centre. Cook and Tui have stores in the city city centre and there is a Kuoni concession in John Lewis. “We will see how the next few


weeks go,” she said. “I want to crack Chelmsford, and then maybe


try other towns.” i High street openings, page 12


17 January 2019travelweekly.co.uk5 3 STORIES HOT


PICTURE: MASON PHOTOGRAPHY


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