Althams expands estate with two shop openings
Samantha Mayling
Althams Travel is recruiting for a new branch in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, following the opening of another shop, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The chain will have 33 branches
when Wetherby opens in June – up from 31 last summer when Althams revealed plans to expand. The Harrogate shop opened in the
Victoria Shopping Centre just after Christmas 2023, with the spa town having been on Althams’ wish list “for some time”, according to managing director, Sandra McAllister. “For the first three months of this
year, Harrogate has sat mid-table within the network for new bookings, which is excellent for a branch in a brand-new location with no existing customer base,” she said. It has five staff – two were existing
Althams staff plus three recruits. McAllister is now seeking five
staff for the Wetherby branch. She said the company’s four-day-week policy was “definitely” an attraction for candidates. Marie Leach, sales development
manager, said the chain has a “strategic plan” to promote the opening of every new branch and establish a presence locally.
Mascots at the grand opening of Althams’ Harrogate branch
A TV personality is invited to
“grand openings”, during which there is a live radio broadcast from the branch. Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale, attended the Harrogate opening. McAllister said sales across the
chain had been “extremely buoyant”. “In January and February, we saw
new sales revenues up 14% and 8% year on year respectively,” she said. “March slowed down a little but
we were still up by 4%. “We are very happy with those
results as 2023 previously was our record year. April has been a little up and down but currently level with last year.
Travel Weekly editor receives outstanding contribution award
Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley has been honoured for her commitment to travel trade journalism by winning the outstanding contribution award at this year’s TravMedia Awards. Huxley was hailed by judges as an “outstanding business leader” and was recognised for spearheading Travel Weekly’s support for the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.
8 25 APRIL 2024 “Through my time at Althams,
I have always seen that holidays are the very last thing that customers will give up – it’s what keeps them going. “We are seeing some very
lucrative high-value bookings, more so than in a normal year. Cruises, in particular, are doing extremely well.” Althams’ expansion has included
the establishment of a homeworking division, led by senior manager Nicky Lynn. The department has seven staff in Yorkshire and Lancashire, with plans to expand. “Our sale [phone] lines and
website feed them various different leads, but their social media pages have really taken off,” said Lynn.
EU Entry/Exit System app ‘will not be ready for start of border scheme’
A pre-authorisation app for cross-Channel travel will not be ready for the start of a new EU border scheme, according to Eurostar boss Gwendoline Cazenave. Under the delayed Entry/Exit System, non-EU citizens will need to register fingerprints and a photo from October. Cazenave said Eurostar was preparing for manual checks as the app would not be ready in time.
Top line-up of judges revealed for this year’s AAAs
A stellar line-up of expert judges has been confirmed for the 2024 Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards, which will take place in London in association with headline sponsor Celestyal on Thursday, July 11. Voting in the supplier-nominated
categories and entries for the self-nominated categories will close on May 1, with shortlisted candidates in the panel-judged categories being assessed in the first week of June. The judges for the 2024
Agent Achievement Awards, in alphabetical order, are:
Gary Anslow, Norwegian Cruise Line
Oliver Brendon, Attraction Tickets
Laura Davis, Gail Kenny Executive Recruitment
Nicki Goldsmith, Virgin Atlantic
Nicola Harper, Ambassador Cruise Line James Howlett, Hurtigruten Kelly Jackson, TTC Tour Brands Adam Kemp, G Touring Joanna Kolatsis, Themis Advisory Sarah Lancashire, Gold Medal
Debbie Marshall, Silver Marketing Association Natasha Marson, easyJet holidays Nikki McGuire, Jet2holidays Megan Parkinson, Lata Janet Parton, Celestyal Stuart Pearce, Azamara Carol Rose, Abta
Nathaniel Sherborne, HX – Hurtigruten Expeditions Adrian Smyth, Jetset Prue Stone, Hotelplan UK Kristina Wallen, Harp Wallen Chris Wright, Sunvil
To cast your votes as a supplier or enter the self-nominated categories for this year’s awards, visit:
agentachievementawards.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
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