Jo Richards, director of Tivoli Travel, welcomed customers to the agency’s first retail store – in Mirfield, West Yorkshire – over the May bank holiday weekend.
The business, which specialises in weddings, golf breaks and family holidays, was launched in February 2016, with thriving sales leading to the high street debut.
Richards, who purchased a former estate agency in the town on Christmas Eve last year just 48 hours after seeing the property online, said she hoped the new premises would lead to a tripling in sales by early next year.
“I think in business you do have to speculate to accumulate and I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so when the opportunity [for the store] came, I just thought: ‘I’ve got to take this,’” Richards told TTG.
“Our first day was overwhelming as we had so many people through the door, but I had a massive smile on my face the whole time.”
The agency will initially be run by Richards, with her childhood friend Helen Bolton – previously national sales manager for Shearings – working part-time. The pair will then be joined in October by a student on work experience.
Richards, who has a long history in the travel sector including managing a number of independent travel companies, said she hoped the high street presence would help increase consumer confidence in Tivoli Travel.
She said: “Sometimes when you’re starting out people can be a bit wary about who they book with, especially after the [Lowcosttravelgroup] failure.” “Now, having the shop shows we’re a solid company – we’re not fly-by-night and we’re here to stay.”
According to Richards, Tivoli Travel, which is part of The Global Travel Group, can benefit from Mirfield’s growing number of family clients and more mature customers, as well as its proximity to neighbouring Huddersfield.
