After receiving hundreds of entries for their ‘Scale Up Your Street’ campaign, Jet2holidays has upped the potential funding pot to £120,000 and shortlisted 12 independent travel agents to potentially open a new retail shop – on the back of a fantastic reaction to the campaign.
Jet2holidays originally announced the campaign back in March and said it would support up to ten travel agent partners with a substantial financial contribution (up to £100,000 in total), as well as access to expert advice, to get a new retail shop up and running.
To be in with a chance of elevating their business, agents needed to submit a written pitch outlining their vision for opening a retail shop including their target market, branding ideas, and business plan. The deadline for submitting pitches was 30th April 2025.
After receiving hundreds of submissions from agency partners right across the UK, the panel of judges from Jet2holidays reviewed them all based on creativity, feasibility, and potential for success. In response to the quality of pitches, the company has decided to up the funding pot and shortlist 12 candidates.
The 12 candidates have received a formal invite to pitch their ideas in person to a panel of industry experts at Jet2holidays’ Holiday House offices in Leeds on 11th June. The panel of judges includes Alan Cross (Director of Travel Agent Relationships at Jet2holidays), Lloyd Cross (GM Trade Sales at Jet2holidays), Nicola Park (Owner & Director of Seaside Travel) and Don Bircham (Franchise Owner of Hays Travel Mold). Each panellist will have their own pot of cash provided by Jet2holidays and travel agents must persuade them how much to contribute towards their new business venture.
Successful candidates from the final pitch event will be announced once their new high street travel agency is ready to officially open, and all commercial arrangements are completed.
As well as a financial contribution, winners of ‘Scale Up Your Street’ will also receive tailored training and support to help them open their shop and drive footfall including marketing support, branding materials and setup assistance.
Winners will also be given ongoing access to insights, as well as mentorship from industry experts, to provide them with the tools and knowledge to make their new shop a success.
‘Scale Up Your Street’ is the latest example of Jet2holidays’ Partners2Success strategy in action and is another demonstration of the tour operator investing directly to support independent travel agency partners and help them grow their businesses.
Alan Cross, Director of Travel Agent Relationships at Jet2holidays said “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has engaged with Scale Up Your Street and submitted their ideas. The submissions have been truly fantastic, which is why we have increased the amount of funding on offer and invited even more agency partners to pitch their ideas. Scale Up Your Street has been an unbelievable success to date, and we cannot wait to meet the finalists and hear their brilliant ideas. We are really helping independent travel agency partners grow and succeed through this innovative campaign, and we look forward to helping agents open up their new shops and make them a huge success.”
