Flight Centre Travel Group’s Envoyage brand continues to expand with the signing of three new shopfronts in Sydney following the success of its first branded store in Western Australia.
Envoyage is FCTG’s principal independent brand. The new stores in Drummoyne, Ryde and Miranda operate under the Envoyage brand but are independently owned and run by experienced, successful local travel agency owners Ibi and Gada Selim (Miranda), Janene Pendleton (Drummoyne) and Lidia Scuglia (Ryde).
Envoyage general manager Australia Nick Queale said the growth of the brand’s shopfront presence is testament to Envoyage’s unique offering, which has resonated with travel entrepreneurs.
“We are the only global travel agency brand with a shopfront offering,” he said. “The Envoyage shopfront model is grounded in providing owners with the freedom and flexibility to run the business their way, with the support and resources of a trusted, globally recognised brand.
“Since launching our first two shopfronts in Western Australia last year, we’ve had fantastic feedback from business owners Clive and Sam Fillingham, who said being able to tap into our vast ecosystem of tools has meant they can spend more time building relationships with their clients.
“Independent business owners have no choice but to wear a multitude of hats, especially those running a physical store. Being part of Envoyage means they can leverage the breadth of tools and resources we offer on a global scale, removing some of that administrative responsibility so owners can focus on business growth.”
Queale said expansion into the Sydney market will be a momentous step in the brand’s consumer strategy.
“Our goal is to continue diversifying our footprint across the country and ultimately making the Envoyage brand name more visible, which benefits everyone in our network, not just those with their own shopfront.
“Sydney is a huge market for us – more than 50 per cent of our existing network is based in New South Wales, so it will be highly beneficial for our members to have three permanent “billboards” in our Ryde, Drummoyne and Miranda stores.
“WA is again a real testament to this – customers have been incredibly receptive to the brand, and it’s been wonderful to see the Mandurah and Rockingham communities embrace Envoyage.”
Envoyage Miranda Business Owner Gada Selim said she wanted to be onboard for the future of Envoyage.
“Envoyage has cutting-edge systems that have truly blown us away,” she said.
“The range of products, coupled with the buying power from FCTG, is exceptional. The Envoyage model is better suited to us as business owners, it has more dynamic systems for our consultants, and so much more product to offer our clients.
“The best part, though, is that the Envoyage team really listens to us and is committed to helping us grow our business. It’s all about the relationships and collaboration, and we couldn’t be more excited to see where this journey takes us.”
