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Panache Cruises expands team after ‘record start’ to 2025

James Cole, Panache Cruises

Luxury cruise retailer Panache Cruises has expanded its team following a “record start” to 2025

It comes after the Chorley-based company saw its turnover grow by more than 50 per cent in 2024 to more than £25 million.

By the end of the third week in January, the business had surpassed its overall sales in January 2024, with luxury ocean cruises up more than 60 per cent, expedition growing in popularity and long-haul river cruises posting triple digit growth.

To meet this increase in demand, the firm has expanded its team in the UK by five to 62 and by two in the US to 10.

CEO James Cole, who launched Panache Cruises in 2020, said: “Along with the rest of the travel industry, January is a massive month for us as we see it as a springboard to the rest of the year.

“All the signs are that January and February will be record months for us with people booking cruises all the way through to 2027.”

Although Mediterranean cruises continue to be popular, Cole said, the company has seen customers looking to travel further afield with long haul cruises “increasingly in demand”, partly resulting in Panache’s average selling price surging by 29 per cent to more than £20k per booking on ultra-luxury ocean cruises.

“We’re also seeing a growth in multi-generational bookings, with grandparents wanting to take their children and grandchildren with them to create experiences that will last a lifetime,” Cole added.

Earlier this year Panache hired another four apprentices and promoted a fifth as part of its ongoing expansion plans.

Henry Livesey, Tom Holding, Molly Brooks and Isabella Clark joined the Chorley-based agency and Mollie-Jo Green was promoted to assistant partnership manager.

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