A UK luxury cruise retailer鈥檚 expansion into the US has seen it generate an additional $3m (拢2.3m) of sales in just four months.
Chorley-based Panache Cruises only opened an office in Orlando, Florida, in June but is already seeking larger premises.
In the last 12 months聽Panache Cruises reported a turnover of 拢22.2m in the UK but founder and CEO James Cole believes US sales will eventually surpass those in the UK.
The company launched in 2020 and already employs a team of 58 in the UK and another eight in the US.
Panache Cruises did a soft launch in the US in 2023 but continued to handle all the marketing and sales from their UK HQ.
Cole said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e spent the last 12 months understanding the cultural differences between the US and UK markets because they are different from a marketing point of view.
鈥淥ur ambition is to be the world鈥檚 largest seller of luxury and ultra luxury cruises by 2030.
鈥淭o do that we have to have the right foundations and base in the UK, which we鈥檝e built over the last four years, but we also have to have significant sales coming from the US market.
鈥淭he US market is up to six times bigger than that in the UK.
鈥淲e opened our office in Orlando in June but it has already generated $3m in sales in just four months.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still early days for us in the US but we鈥檙e growing exponentially and we plan to make additional appointments in the US and move into larger offices.鈥�
Cole said Orlando was the perfect base for the cruise retailer.
鈥淢iami is the biggest port in the world, and where most of the cruise lines are based,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ince opening our US office we鈥檝e been able to forge better relationships with cruise lines because we鈥檙e dealing with them in person.
鈥淎s well as being able to meet with cruise lines every six to 12 weeks in person we鈥檝e also joined the exclusive Signature Travel Network, which is a cooperative of retail travel agencies.
鈥淥ur strapline is 鈥榥othing is too much trouble鈥� and we can now offer that personalised service to our US customers.鈥�
Panache Cruises is targeting 拢100m turnover by 2027/28 and recently appointed Alex Langton as head of sales and operations and Rhianna Latham as the company鈥檚 first head of people and culture.