Polka Dot Travel plans to open two more branches by the end of the year and has appointed its first head of sales.
The agency will grow its retail network to 20 branches with openings in St Helen’s and Birkenhead in Merseyside.
It opened its 18th store in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, this week in a temporary location before its permanent store is complete.
Director Mark Johnson said “St Helen’s and Birkenhead are great additions to our branch network. We have been considering an expansion into the Merseyside area for some time now and are confident that these locations will work well for us.
“We already have a strong customer database in this area with many customers travelling a considerable distance to their nearest store which shows that there is strong demand for our brand”.
Johnson said Polka Dot, which has set out its long-term target to reach 30 branches, is considering further openings in Merseyside and other regions in the north west of England, touting Warrington and Liverpool city centre as options.
The miniple has also announced the appointment of their newest senior manager, Jenny Lyons, who will join on November 11 as head of sales.
She joins from P&O Cruises where she is business manager for regional sales and training, and has previously worked for Royal Caribbean, Thomas Cook and Tui.
Polka Dot director Helen Jonson said: “We are thrilled that Jenny is joining us. She has excellent credentials and is very well respected within the industry. Jenny will be key in helping our business transition from miniple to multiple as we accelerate our growth plans next year”.
Lyons will be responsible for driving performance in the retail stores and will work alongside Aislinn Tilsley, head of marketing and business development, who will be concentrating on developing commercial partnerships and implementing the marketing strategy with support from new marketing manager Abby Dunn.
Lyons said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Polka Dot, particularly with me arriving during such an exciting period of growth. I am looking forward to working with the team and contributing to the businesses ongoing success”.