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Sunshine sees profits jump since going independent
Online travel agency www.sunshine.co.uk has reported pre-tax profits up by 80% since leaving Hays Travel Independence Group.
The agency, which was the first online travel company to join Hays Travel in 2007, left at the end of 2013 because it believed the time was right to go it alone.
In the first partial year trading as an independent travel agency, it has grown pre-tax profits from £1 million to £1.8 million year-on-year and increased net sales by 53% to £52.5m in the year to August 2014.
It said passenger numbers are up 29% in the current trading year, with 50% of total sales coming from repeat customers.
Net sales for the its sister cruise website bonvoyage.uk have increased 78% year on year so far and the group said a few new suppliers are set to launch in the near future.
“The company is also continually looking to develop new partnerships with other cruise lines to help with the expansion of the site’s offering,” it said.
A new website is currently being developed and sunshine said further technical advancements will follow very soon.
Managing director Chris Clarkson said: “We can’t wait to see what this year holds for us.”
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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