Experience It Now Travel has opened a fourth high street shop as it targets expansion of its homeworking arm to reach 300 by the end of this year.
The agency’s new Hailsham branch joins the group’s existing East Sussex branches in Eastbourne, Seaford and Peacehaven.
It is run by up to three existing staff from the business, but will recruit more as needed.
Director Richard Light said: “We’ve been wanting a fourth shop for some time and looked at several other towns in Sussex. This one came up in a good location on the high street in one of our target areas.”
The group’s shop-based agents act as support staff for its homeworkers, which currently number 200, with both arms of the business growing in tandem as a result.
Light hopes to take on a further 100 homeworkers to reach 300 by the end of this year, which could trigger the opening of a fifth high street shop to provide the necessary sales support.
Light, who runs the business with his wife and co-director Caroline, said: “Our theory is that as we grow and need more support staff for the homeworkers, rather than getting a bigger office we’ll open another shop. It’s [also a way of] building our brand in our Sussex area.
“There are another couple of towns we will keep an eye on. We’ll probably have another shop by the time we have 300 homeworkers.” The number of homeworkers increased from 80 in 2024 to 185 in 2025, with sales up nearly 400% last year on the previous year.
The agency offers training and sales support to homeworkers until 10pm seven days a week, using staff in store in the day and at home on a rota system in the evenings.
Homeworkers – whose varied backgrounds include banking, nursing and the police – receive a 70% split of net commission earnings.
“We have a mix of full and part-time homeworkers. A lot are coming to the end of their careers and want to set up in travel in retirement,” said Light, adding: “We think 300 is a good number to concentrate on.”
Experience It Now Travel also owns cruisemore.co.uk, which it plans to promote more heavily. About one-third of shop sales are cruises, and homeworkers are encouraged to specialise in areas such as cruise, added Light.
Feb 9, 202608:00 GMT by Juliet Dennis
