The UK’s leading travel agency, Barrhead Travel, has pledged its commitment to further investment at its annual conference which took place in Ibiza.

Between 30th September and 3rd October at the Grand Palladium Palace & White Island resorts, the Glasgow-headquartered agency confirmed that it was “eyeing growth” both on the high street and organically, via its existing channels.

The group highlighted nine record-breaking months of trading, with figures showing a 12% increase compared to last year, which was also a record breaker for the firm. Its figures demonstrated that the summer period had been characterised by late breaks, which were prompted by the poor UK weather.

To support growth as it approaches its 50th year in business next year, Barrhead Travel confirmed the latest addition to its retail network as it announced the opening of a new store in Newtownabbey in Northern Ireland, due to open next month.

Significant investments have also been made within its existing retail portfolio this year as the group continues to pledge support for the UK high street.

This included a £250,000 refurb project for four of its key locations as well as a rollout of new diverse uniforms for the Barrhead Travel customer-facing teams.

The firm also launched its new Leadership Academy as part of its commitment to invest in and retain talent. The Academy, created by Barrhead Travel’s in-house team, offers three bespoke courses to its participants, including The Leadership Academy, Aspiring Leaders Academy and a Mentoring Academy.

Jacqueline Dobson (pictured above), President at Barrhead Travel, said: “It’s been another fantastic year for the Barrhead Travel Group as holidays remain a spending priority for many, with travellers turning to trusted high street travel agents.

With stable demand for travel, we’re predicting further growth opportunities in the coming years so future-proofing our business and making investments in retail, technology and people will sit at the heart of our strategy.”

She added: “Our people are the engine of Barrhead Travel – so much of our investment will focus on retaining and attracting the very best talent, and ensuring industry-leading personal development is available for everyone.

Travel agents are at heart of the holiday-planning process for many across a wide age range – but we’re excited to continue with our plans to modernise the market and support even more holidaymakers with their plans over the coming year”.

Barrhead Travel is set to welcome a further programme of refurbishments across their UK stores over the next twelve months. The stores due to undergo a transformation include East Kilbride, Dunfermline, Cumbernauld, Bearsden and Cameron Toll.

Since it was founded in 1975, Barrhead Travel has expanded from a traditional ‘bucket and spade’ travel agent to a multi-faceted travel group offering bespoke holidays to all corners of the globe, running an in-house training facility, employing specialist consultants providing expert advice in areas such as long haul, cruise, and touring holidays, and promoting youth employment through its apprenticeship scheme.

Its network of stores span across over 90 locations throughout the UK. The company has won many awards over the years, the most recent including Best Touring and Adventure Travel Agency and has been named Best Travel Agency in Scotland for 23 years running.