Flight Centre Travel Group set to grow its bricks & mortar footprint in Canada
As it marks its 30th anniversary of its operations here in Canada, the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) is looking ahead to the future and growing its bricks and mortar footprint in this country.
This week, FCTG Canada hosted a party at its offices in Toronto to celebrate its milestone birthday here in Canada, welcoming not only its supplier partners, but 80 of its bricks & mortar counsellors from across the country, giving them an opportunity to meet and mingle with those suppliers and to participate in a day-long consultant conference during their visit.
Noting that FCTG Canada opened its offices in this country in Vancouver in 1995, Anita Emilio, Vice President & General Manager Leisure, Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, said of the Dec. 8 event: “We thought we’d take the opportunity to celebrate what is, not only an important milestone for us, but it’s an incredibly important year for us as we start to grow the business and start to grow our retail footprint. We wanted to get that message out there.”
As for what kind of growth the company is targeting for its bricks & mortar footprint in Canada, Chris Lynes, Managing Director for FCTG Canada, said: “On the retail side, we want to get to 20 to 25 stores in the next three to five years.”
Emilio noted that before the end of 2025, FCTG expects to open two more locations one in Toronto and one in North Vancouver. And going forward she said that: “We’ve made the decision to focus on opening locations in the centres of Toronto, in particular, and Vancouver as we start to grow the footprint of our retail locations again.”
It’s pretty clear that FCTG Canada sees an opportunity in the bricks & mortar space, with Emilio observing that: “I cannot believe the opportunity there is. The reality is that there are people who really do value sitting and consulting with an advisor in person.”
And while older people represent a large portion of those doing that, Emilio said that there is a younger demographic who clearly sees the value of using a travel advisor.
Along with having a strong Fall, Emilio pointed out that Canadians are travelling differently. With fewer heading to the U.S. on leisure trips, she pointed out that “they are travelling and they are travelling further afield. Europe has grown for us as well as Asia and down into South America.”
She continued: “That’s amazing for us because it’s really, really wonderful travel to book and [because it’s] complex travel, people do need that consultation.”
In this respect, Lynes observed: “The human connection is so important and that’s why we’re seeing bricks and mortar work so well for us. All the demographics that are out there of people coming and booking with us, it validates what the business is and so we see [that business] increasing and that that need for human connection is there.”
Stay tuned … you can expect there’ll be more to come from FCTG …
