C The World, which is based in Bristol, took over its new premises in October.
The firm began life in the garden of director Carolyn Park, before moving into an old Post Office in the village of Easter Compton.
“Referrals and recommendations are how we’ve grown it and I’ve gradually needed more and more staff. We didn’t fit in the Post Office – we were up to capacity,” Park told TTG.
She was subsequently tipped off about an available shop in nearby Westbury Park.
“I just looked at it and thought ‘that’s too good not to have’. It’s in a really good area; it’s more [on the] high street than the first branch,” Park said.
“We don’t have anyone sitting at desks. I hate that. It’s all designed with booth seating. We’ve got a lot more technology in there with flatscreens that you can plug a laptop in to that clients can look at, so if we want to show them a hotel it appears on the wall.
“It just doesn’t look like your conventional travel agent,” she insisted. “We worked heavily with an interior designer on it and it looks really, really smart.”
C The World took on an additional employee, taking the total number of staff members to six.
Park said she was keeping “half an eye on” other market towns in and around Bristol for other potential premises.
“I’m not going for global domination yet – maybe next year,” she joked.
Park has branched out into new areas and also runs golf specialist agency Tee The World with her partner Tim Worrell, which operates out of the same premises.
“At the moment we’re an agent but the plan is to turn that into an agent- friendly tour operation,” she added.
