The new store opening will create approximately 12 new jobs, and Barrhead is looking for experienced agents to apply.

The announcement of Southampton takes Barrhead’s network to more than 70 across the UK.

There will be separate cruise and long-haul areas in the store but the agency will provide all types of holidays. The store will also feature a foreign currency unit.

The store will be on Above Bar Street, facing the entrance to Westquay Shopping Centre.

Barrhead revealed another new store in Fort Kinnaird Retail Park in the Edinburgh area earlier last week.

A store in Victoria Square Shopping Centre, Belfast, opened in December 2017.

The travel retailer said the expansion was needed as the number of customers booking holidays in its stores continued to rise.

Bill Munro, chairman of Barrhead Travel, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce the new store opening in Southampton, the first on England’s South Coast. We really look forward to welcoming new customers to our fantastic store.

“Customers book with Barrhead Travel because they want the expertise of our specialists. Holidays are an emotional purchase and customers want to feel they are getting the best possible value for money, sound advice from genuine specialists and to know that their holidays are fully financially protected.”

Barrhead first expanded into the English market in 2015 with a store in Eldon Square, Newcastle, then in Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester.