Art and Polar Bears Drive Sales for Local Business

4 December 2014

Art and Polar Bears Drive Multi-Million Dollar Sales for Local Business

Ellerslie locals’ passion for travel, art and polar bears has seen one local business become a multi-million retail success story, with 700% growth since it launched according its owner.

House of Travel Ellerslie creates bespoke trips for Kiwi travellers, and owner Glen Armstrong says excursions to Churchill, Canada to see polar bears, river cruising in Russia, and a visit to the trains and fjords in Norway are some of the most memorable he’s booked.

Armstrong, who has a passion for Art History, also offers unique small group art tours drawing on his knowledge and love for the subject. “In the past year we have been to the Hobart Museum of Old and New Art, Florence, Madrid, Berlin, Melbourne - all over the world,” he says. “The tours usually consist of around 14 or 15 people, and have proved consistently popular over the seven years we have offered them.”

The Auckland store celebrated its 10th anniversary on Thursday, 4 December, and Armstrong believes involvement in the small but bustling community of Ellerslie has helped the business grow from $1million to $7million in turnover.

“Companies grow with their communities, and that’s what has worked for us, despite there being some tough times for retail over the last decade,” says Armstrong. “I firmly believe in building ethical relationships with people living and working around us, which results in a trustworthy reputation and good word of mouth.”

The store has had two of its strongest years of sales leading up to the anniversary as a result of this attitude. “Our industry is all about people, and I think the personal touch is often underestimated these days. There are still plenty of customers who want to deal with someone face to face, and that’s reflected in our success over the past 10 years.”

The Ellerslie team celebrated the 10 year milestone with a gathering, at which Armstrong also discovered the store had unknowingly match-made two of their customers! “Two customers had booked individual trips to Vanuatu, and bumped into each other there, got talking and realised they had both booked at House of Travel Ellerslie. Now they have got together, so maybe we can add matchmaking to our list of offerings,” he jokes.

For more information, see www.houseoftravel.co.nz/hot-stores/auckland/ellerslie

ENDS

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