A NEW travel agency has opened in Golden Square Shopping Centre and brought three ex-Thomas Cook employees back to work.

Barrhead Travel, one of the UK’s leading travel agencies, opened its doors for the first time on Saturday, February 1.

The store will celebrate with an official launch party tomorrow, Tuesday and will welcome Warrington’s mayor, cllr Wendy Johnson, to lead the ribbon-cutting.

The Scottish-headquartered agency recently confirmed an expansion plan to open up to 100 stores and re-hire as many employees as possible in the wake of the Thomas Cook collapse.

Employees from Warrington's former Thomas Cook store have been trained at Barrhead Travel’s dedicated Training Academy in Glasgow.

The store will follow Barrhead Travel’s signature conceptual design and will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and branded experience areas.

Headed up by manager, Simon Taylor, the high street travel agency will specialise in all types of holidays including cruise, long-haul, touring, city breaks, honeymoons and beach escapes.

The team of five – including the three former Thomas Cook staff – collectively have more than 100 years of experience.

Store manager, Simon, said: “My team and I are really excited to be in Warrington doing what we love, making dream holidays come true for our customers.

"There has been phenomenal support so far from the community and we can’t wait to officially welcome customers into our new store.”

An official partnership with Warrington-based children’s charity, Jump, has also been announced representatives from the charity will join the team at the opening.

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Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, added: “I am thrilled to welcome Warrington to the Barrhead Travel family in the UK.

"The opening of the store reflects our unwavering commitment to the high street travel agency; investment in bricks and mortar has been at the heart of our strategy since we opened our first store in 1975 and we will continue to place focus on the physical customer journey by combining experiential technology and genuine expertise from our local teams.

“We firmly believe that the demand for an experienced and knowledgeable travel agent is still on the rise as holidaymakers seek first-hand sound advice and guaranteed financial protection for their well-earned getaways."