Holiday company Sunny Heart Travel is to create jobs with move to new home in Peterborough's Queensgate

A travel agents created in Peterborough is hiring more staff as it moves into a new retail store in the Queensgate shopping centre.

It is a poignant moment for Sunny Heart Travel founders Steve Bentzen and Gemma Sharman, both former IT staff of Thomas Cook, as their new business will be occupying the same unit that was home to Thomas Cook, which collapsed in 2019.

Mr Bentzen, who helped install new technology in the unit for Thomas Cook, said: “It’s a bit of a homecoming for me because before Thomas Cook collapsed I managed the IT requirements of the store, like installing wifi and providing ipads to give agents more mobility throughout the store.”

The relocation comes after Sunny Heart Travel, which had been an online only business, moved into its first bricks and mortar store in Beales, in Westgate, only to be told a month later the department store was to close in the New Year.

Mr Bentzen said: “We are all very excited about the move and we have recruited more staff to cope with the peak winter booking season.

"We’ve had a huge number of great applicants and we are hoping to take on even more as we expand.”

The new store’s official opening will be on November 18 to coincide with the Christmas lights switch on.

Mr Bentzen said: “We will be giving away a holiday on the day and we will have lots of Sunny Heart offers on display in our new window onto Queensgate.”

“Thank you to all of our loyal customers for their unwavering support.”