Cruise retailer’s US office hits $3m sales in four months

A UK luxury cruise retailer’s expansion into the US has seen it generate an additional $3m (£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 Panache Cruises reported a turnover of £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: “We’ve 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.

 “Our ambition is to be the world’s largest seller of luxury and ultra luxury cruises by 2030. 

 “To do that we have to have the right foundations and base in the UK, which we’ve built over the last four years, but we also have to have significant sales coming from the US market.

 “The US market is up to six times bigger than that in the UK. 

 “We opened our office in Orlando in June but it has already generated $3m in sales in just four months.

 “It’s still early days for us in the US but we’re growing exponentially and we plan to make additional appointments in the US and move into larger offices.”

 Cole said Orlando was the perfect base for the cruise retailer.

 “Miami is the biggest port in the world, and where most of the cruise lines are based,” he said.

“Since opening our US office we’ve been able to forge better relationships with cruise lines because we’re dealing with them in person.

 “As well as being able to meet with cruise lines every six to 12 weeks in person we’ve also joined the exclusive Signature Travel Network, which is a cooperative of retail travel agencies.

 “Our strapline is ‘nothing is too much trouble’ and we can now offer that personalised service to our US customers.” 

Panache Cruises is targeting £100m turnover by 2027/28 and recently appointed Alex Langton as head of sales and operations and Rhianna Latham as the company’s first head of people and culture.