Hays travel agents in Cleveleys move to bigger and brighter premises - just across the road

Hays Travel in Cleveleys will be staging a grand opening at its new premises at 94 Victoria Road West on Friday January 6, when customers old and new will be invited to take a peek inside.

There will also be Prosecco and cake on offer on the day.

The branch was previously run by Thomas Cook but when that company went bust in September 2019, Hays Travel bought Cook's retail estate, taking on all 555 shops including the one in Cleveleys.

Although a number of these outlets across the country have since closed due to the pandemic, the Cleveleys branch continues to thrive.

In Cleveleys, the three-strong team based there were able to keep their jobs and Hays bolstered the total staff numbers to seven.

However, the premises were starting to look tired and now the team has moved over the road.

Branch manager Louise Shepherd said: “It’s fair to say the premises at our old place were no longer at their best and it was decided that relocation was the answer.

"We haven’t moved far, though, we are literally over the road.

"On January 6 we will be welcoming people to take a look inside – we’ll have balloons up and there will be Prosecco and cake too.”

The travel industry was certainly hit hard by the pandemic and some holidaymakers have resorted to going online and not visiting established high street agencies.

But Louise says travel agents still play a vital role and can offer travellers vital peace of mind.

She said: “We really look after people from start to finish, and if there are any doubts or questions, we are ready to try and answer them, with the personal touch.

"I think that despite the difficulties in the industry, travel agents really came into their own during Covid, because a lot of holidaymakers did struggle to get their refunds after they had just booked online and their holidays were cancelled, while we were able to look after our customers.”