Panache sails past £50m turnover mark

Luxury cruise retailer Panache Cruises has exceeded £50m turnover for the first time after another year of strong growth.

The Chorley based business, which was founded in 2020, saw its revenues rise from £34.9m to £50.1m in the 12 months to the end of May 2026.

Panache Cruises also generated more than £1m EBITDA and grew its headcount from 72 to 110 in the same period.

James Cole, chief executive and founder, said reaching £50m was a ‘huge milestone’, especially against the backdrop of ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“It’s an outstanding achievement but the progress we’ve made in the last 12 months goes way beyond just record sales figures.

“Every business with ambitions to scale sustainably has to be built on fantastic foundations.

“Our foundations are the three Cs: colleagues, customers and cruise lines, and that has never changed.”

James said the company had made a number of key hires over the last 12 months, including its first-ever people and culture director, Sarah Allen, and Linzi Bird as head of customer experience.

In January, the company also stepped in to hire eight new colleagues from dnata Travel Group after it announced plans to close its Travel Republic and Netflights consumer brands.

James said the company's ambitious five-year goal was to reach £300m in revenue by 2031.

“We think we can do that largely through organic growth but if the right acquisition comes along, we’ll certainly look at it,” he said. “We’d only undertake an acquisition if the company shared our values and culture.

“In addition to our US base, we opened an Australian office in May and plan to expand further internationally by opening in Canada.

“We’ve been included in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list and last year a team of 14 of us successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro on the way to raising £88,000 for the brilliant charity, Reuben’s Retreat. That’s what we’re about at Panache Cruises.”