Branch Manger

Are you an experienced travel professional ready to take the next step in your career? Do you have a strong track record in travel sales, the ability to get the best from others and the drive to take ownership of a successful retail branch?

If so, we may have just the opportunity for you.

Sunlounger Travel Group is looking for an experienced and ambitious Branch Manager to lead our independently owned travel agency in the heart of King’s Lynn.

We’re looking for someone who can combine great travel knowledge and strong personal sales ability with the leadership skills needed to motivate, develop and support an already successful team.

As an independent travel agency with access to more than 300 suppliers, we aren't restricted to selling a small selection of products. Our customers come to us for expertise, choice and genuinely personal service.

From short-haul family holidays and cruises through to luxury long-haul travel, tailor-made itineraries and complex multi-centre trips, our team has the freedom to find the right holiday for the customer.

The Role

As Branch Manager, you'll take day-to-day responsibility for the performance and operation of the branch.

You'll lead from the front, remaining actively involved in selling holidays and looking after customers while supporting your team to achieve their own sales targets and deliver consistently excellent service.

You'll be responsible for creating a positive, motivated and commercially focused environment where people enjoy working, customers enjoy booking and the branch achieves its full potential.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating and developing the branch team.
• Driving sales performance and helping the branch achieve agreed targets.
• Monitoring individual and branch performance and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Coaching and supporting team members to develop their sales skills, product knowledge and confidence.
• Leading by example and maintaining your own strong personal sales performance.
• Ensuring customers receive exceptional service throughout their journey with us.
• Building long-term relationships with customers and encouraging repeat business and recommendations.
• Managing the day-to-day operation of the branch.
• Maintaining high standards of presentation, organisation and compliance.
• Supporting local marketing activity and identifying opportunities to grow the branch's customer base.
• Working with the wider management team to help develop the business.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who understands that managing a successful travel agency isn't simply about opening the doors each morning, it’s about creating a team that wants to succeed.

You'll ideally have:

• Significant travel agency experience within a customer-facing retail environment.
• Previous supervisory, senior consultant, assistant manager or branch management experience.
• A strong and demonstrable record of travel sales.
• Excellent knowledge of the travel industry, destinations, products and tour operators.
• Experience of working with tour operator booking systems.
• Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of sales, margin and profitability.
• The ability to motivate, coach and develop others.
• Confidence in managing performance and setting clear expectations.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills.
• The ability to build long-lasting relationships with customers.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• The confidence to make decisions and use your own initiative.
• The ability to communicate effectively face-to-face, by telephone, email and social media.
• Experience of working towards individual and team sales targets.
• An understanding of the demands and opportunities of retail trading hours.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone with energy, ambition and a genuine passion for travel who wants to make the branch their own.

Why Join Sunlounger Travel Group?

We're an independently owned and growing travel business and we're continuing to invest in our people, our technology and our growth, and we're looking for managers who want to grow with us.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From £30,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount

Experience:

• retail travel agency: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person