Your Stories: Chris Cooper established a Barrhead Travel branch in Liverpool after Thomas Cook’s collapse

The AAAs best leisure manager winner talks to Samantha Mayling about his career and future plans

Q. How did you start in travel?
A. When I was 17 I was working in a corner shop and someone in a Going Places uniform came in, so I asked about being an agent. I was studying interior design and art at college but had also thought about travel. She asked for my CV, I went for an interview, and the rest is history. Going Places merged with Thomas Cook [in 2007] and I was a store manager for the last 14 years.

When I was 17 I was working in a corner shop and someone in a Going Places uniform came in, so I asked about being an agent

Q. What happened when Thomas Cook collapsed in September 2019?
A. It was horrendous – I’d invested all those years in one company, it felt like family. Colleagues were friends. It went in the blink of an eye; it was heartbreaking. Two weeks later, Barrhead approached me as they wanted to expand in England. Five of us from the Thomas Cook shop set up a Barrhead store in Allerton Road, Mossley Hill – down the road from our old premises. I chose the location and helped with the interior design – inspirational images and red-and-white Barrhead branding and window displays.

In December 2019, not long after I joined Barrhead, I had an incredible fam trip to Japan. It was amazing to restart with Barrhead – we’d been made redundant and were wondering what’s next…then we were reunited with a new brand. It was a great opportunity and I’m very grateful.

It was amazing to restart with Barrhead – we’d been made redundant and were wondering what’s next…then we were reunited with a new brand

Q. How did you cope with the pandemic?
A. The team was furloughed and I worked from home. We kept in touch and looked after customers and staff. My assistant manager joined me working after a while, then we reopened gradually. We remained positive and looked for opportunities to boost sales – social media was huge for us, so we focused on that during the pandemic. We helped clients with visas, Covid rules and passport validity. With the recent disruption at airports, we jumped on it as soon as we heard about it and supported customers – providing reassurance and sourcing alternative flights. They really appreciate it and tell their friends and family.

Q. Have you managed to travel much?
A. I went to Florida last November and I will go again this October. It’s my favourite destination and I love the theme parks – they were Christmassy when I went last year and this time they will be celebrating Halloween.

With the recent disruption at airports, we jumped on it as soon as we heard about it and supported customers, providing reassurance and sourcing alternative flights

Q. How are sales now?
A. We’re one of the top-performing stores in our region, with lots of bookings for 2022, 2023 and even 2024. We’re selling lots of cruises, five-star luxury packages and Turkey is our number-one destination. With long-haul, we’re selling Dubai, New York and US multi-centre holidays. People returning from holiday are coming back to us to book another – we’re not seeing the cost-of-living problems affecting us. We recently made a £30,000 booking for a family holiday in Cyprus, and one customer has spent £100,000 over the past two years with us and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

People are more savvy with booking online so we need to stand out with our service. We look after customers from start to finish: give clear up-to-date advice, help fill in forms and call them before and after they travel. It means we get lots of recommendations to friends and family, so we get more bookings. One customer has booked with us 35 times in three years. I am a real champion of training – we’ve recently had sessions on ski, Disney, Jet2 and cruise lines. We have taken on two new members of staff too, so we’re training them.

People are more savvy with booking online so we need to stand out with our service

Q. Tell us about your plans to adopt.
A. Over the past 12 months, I have been going through the process of becoming an adoptive parent, along with my partner. It has been busy and there’s been a lot of stress – and I’ve had to juggle it with work. We’re now waiting to adopt two young siblings. It is a very intensive vetting process, with lots to learn and one-to-one sessions with the social worker. There have been so many positives this past year with work and my personal life – and getting the award was the icing on the cake.

Over the past 12 months, I have been going through the process of becoming an adoptive parent, along with my partner

Tell us about winning the best leisure manager award at the Agent Achievement Awards

I was shocked, in a good way. Royal Caribbean hosted our table and someone from the cruise line filmed me as my name was read out – I was over the moon. One of the judges said I’d really stood out and come across as genuine in my interview. Catherine Finlan, Barrhead Travel’s head of sales for England and Ireland, had nominated me as our branch’s performance this year has been really successful.

I’ve also been managing Barrhead’s social media team for the past year. On Facebook, we have 150,000 followers and get lots of enquiries

We opened just before the pandemic as a new brand in Liverpool, so we worked hard to get our name out there. Service is my number one priority, especially since the pandemic: we show that what we do is different to booking online. I’ve also been managing Barrhead’s social media team for the past year. On Facebook, we have 150,000 followers and get lots of enquiries. We source the right products and promotions to drive bookings. There are seven staff in the branch and 15 in the social media team, spread across the country, some are homeworkers and some are in store.

Service is my number one priority, especially since the pandemic