Sue Hunter, who opened Braunton Travel in May 2014 followed by Bideford Travel in August 2018, has chosen Barnstaple as the location for her third shop, which opened on Monday (17 June).

Hunter, who previously managed a Vacation World store and worked as a Hays Travel homeworker, told TTG the town presented "ample opportunities" for another agency.

"Before Barnstaple Travel opened on Monday, there were two travel shops in Barnstaple – a Tui and another independent," she said. “So there were ample opportunities for us to go in as a second independent.”

Hunter said she expected the Barnstaple store to attract a slightly younger demographic than her other ships owing to its younger team and their social media skills.

"They have been using TikTok and social media to raise the profile of the shop, and I think that what they are doing is going to attract a slightly different demographic,” she said.

Hunter said she had to put herself through training with the team of four, headed by manager Adam Roberts, made up of new-to-travel talent.

"We have done a couple of weeks’ intense training, focusing on business processes and tour operators,” she said, adding staff were receiving training and support from the Hays Travel Independence Group, of which the agency has been a member since Hunter opened the first branch in Braunton.

Looking ahead, Hunter told TTG she hadn’t ruled out opening a fourth shop, with a new member of her team taking on more of the day-to-day operations allowing her to transition into a more managerial role.

"I’m going to be able to flip between the three stores because last year, I hired an extra person in the Braunton shop,” she explained. “They will ultimately take over my desk and leave me to do more training and management rather than just being a seller with extra duties.”