Founder Sam Ballard is currently negotiating a lease on premises in Clarendon Park – around a minute’s walk from where he lives in the south of the city. Ballard said his aim is to overhaul the space over the summer, with a view to opening the branch in September.
He told TTG: “The reason I’m going down this road is that I’ve always believed in the power of retail and how having a physical presence on a high street can really leverage a brand. It will really bring us to life.
“I’m from Leicester. Having a shop local to me in a community I understand is really attractive. I’m hoping a Club Voyages shop will elevate this particular high street.
“You want to see interesting things pop up on the streets local to you. Having a high-end travel agency like ours on the street will be a good thing.”
A recruitment drive is under way for sales staff to work in the shop, with Ballard stressing he is looking for candidates with at least three years’ retail travel experience and who are passionate about creating bespoke itineraries for clients.
“We’re interested in hearing from people who work in an agency,” he continued. “But rather than stacking the bookings high, we’re more about the customer service offering – our average sale is around £10,000.
“An important KPI for me is maintaining our margin. I’ll assess people on the margin rather than the volume. It’s about hiring the right people rather than filling desks. I’m looking for people prepared to go that extra mile to create something special for their customers.”
He added: “Anyone who is interested in the new retail venture should get in touch. People can either contact me directly or email enquiries@clubvoyages.uk.”
Asked if he had approached any travel retail experts in the industry to seek advice about launching on the high street, Ballard said: “We don’t have anyone working with us on a consultancy basis, but I’m always interested in speaking to people.”
Ballard stressed Club Voyages’ homeworking division, which currently numbers 17 agents, will remain “a major focus” for the business. "We’re still looking to grow our homeworking division,” he explained.
“We’re not taking our eye off the ball with that. Our homeworkers are still a major focus – our homeworking division is something we’ve been successful with.”
Club Voyages’ new shop will also serve as a head office to supprt its homeworkers, Ballard added.
Earlier this month, Kelly Green – Club Voyages’ former head of retail – returned to Hays Travel after a five-month stint with Ballard’s burgeoning agency, which is a member of the Hays Travel Independence Group.
Ballard revealed that while he does not plan to fill Green’s previous role, he had lined up someone to take on the admin tasks she carried out. The successful applicant will work at the Clarendon Park branch when it opens, Ballard confirmed.
“She will start in June but is currently serving her notice at the moment,” explained Ballard. “She will join on a short-term basis.”
Ballard admitted that he could add more shops around the country in the future if he found “the right place”. “At the moment, I want to focus on one shop, but there is no reason why we won’t expand elsewhere,” he said.
