Aspire Travel owner Kelly Baldwin is to open a shop in Northamptonshire, less than a year after opening her first, in neighbouring Cambridgeshire.
Kelly decided to move into Northamptonshire after seeing strong demand from customers from the county. The branch will open on Thrapston High Street in mid-August.
She said: “When I looked at the business, I could see that 60% of our business was coming from Northamptonshire, even though we are based in Cambridgeshire. We also get a really good repeat ratio from there, which is great for us moving forward.
“We will focus on our luxury offering in Thrapston as it’s quite a high-net-worth area. We are seeing a lot of demand for people wanting multi-centre holidays and lots of experiences. They want to know more and use our experiences and look at our social media for inspiration. For example, I went on a trip to Dubai recently staying at Atlantis – The Palm, and straight off the back of it I did a £20k booking.”
Kelly launched her agency business in January 2022 as a homeworker with Not Just Travel.
She then opened her first store, called The Travel Hub, on Cottenham High Street, Cambridgeshire, in November 2024 as a space for her team to come together.
She said: “I started four years ago with no experience and Not Just Travel allowed me in. I originally thought I’d book family and friends on the weekend. Now we are about to hit £10m in sales (since 2022) and getting ready to open the new store.”
Pictured left to right: Aspire Travel team members Mia Gamble, Clare McVey, Kelly Baldwin and Hayley Law
Aspire Travel already had a team of seven, and has recruited two new staff members to join the Thrapston store. It will be run by current team members Hayley Law and Mia Gamble, who both live close to the town.
Kelly added the reception from locals has been positive.
“People are peering into the window and when we have been working in a café nearby they have come up to us and asked when we will be open. Even the decorators and contractors working with us are wanting to book their trips with us, it’s been received so well. I have also had a number of agents reach out who are keen to work with us, and I am always keen to hear from people,” she explained.
There are also plans to open shop number three by early 2026, and number four to follow, although Kelly does not want to disclose the locations just yet.
