Cruise retailer seeking UK homeworkers to become franchisees

The world’s largest cruise retailer is to launch its US franchise model in the UK.

CruiseOne is seeking Brits to run home-based start-ups, with the potential to earn £54,836 a year.

That figure includes the deduction of marketing and technology costs, and accounts for six bookings each week, with an average value of £2,950. Each franchisee will be offered 70% retained commission, as well as full back-office and web support.

CruiseOne – which is operated by World Travel Holdings (WTH) – already has 720 franchisees in the US, Canada and Holland, and aims to have 10 UK agents by the end of 2011 alone.

UK franchisees will work as representatives for Cruise118, which is part-owned by WTH. The latest opportunity forms part of the UK expansion of WTH, which will also affect brands such as Cruises.com.

Cruise118 is a member of the British Franchise Association and is supported by a deal with Barclays to help fund start-up franchises. The franchising model is comparable to that of GoCruise, which is owned by Fred Olsen Travel.

James Cole, director at Cruise118, says he is committed to finding the right people to grow the business model. He added:

“We expect this to appeal to homeworkers who are active in their local communities. But if someone wants to have a physical retail presence or wants to do UK-wide marketing we would love to support them in achieving that.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who has a real passion for starting a new business. They do not need travel experience, but that would certainly be a benefit.”