Luxury online travel company Club Voyages is to open its first shop, in Leicester, on 2 September.

Founder and Managing Director, former travel journalist Sam Ballard, got the keys to the store last week.

It’s located in Clarendon Park, Sam’s local high street, which he described as ‘a really thriving community, great for independents’.

Club Voyages already has 17 homeworkers and Sam plans to hire two members of staff – one full-time and one part-time – to manage the store initially.

He said he will review the agency in January before deciding whether to take on more staff.

The business, which started as a cruise-focused agent in 2022 but rapidly expanded into selling luxury tailormade packages in addition to cruises, is part of the Hays Independence Group.