Dalton Park, the largest shopping and leisure outlet in the North East, is preparing to welcome Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agent, as its latest commercial addition. The new branch, set to open at the end of February, will be positioned at the front entrance of the centre, featuring a 900-square-foot space with six desks and a travel money counter. The location’s curved, wraparound frontage makes it a standout feature for visitors.
Hays Travel was founded in 1980 by John Hays, who started selling holidays just around the corner from what is now Dalton Park. Today, the company has over 500 branches nationwide and remains headquartered in Sunderland, maintaining strong ties to its North East roots.
The timing of the opening aligns with a rising trend in travel agent bookings. According to a 2024 ABTA report, nearly two in five (38%) travellers booked their holidays through a professional, an increase from 34% in 2023. This reflects a growing demand for personalised service and expert guidance when planning trips.
The arrival of Hays Travel follows a record-breaking Christmas period for Dalton Park, with Boxing Day marking its busiest day ever. The shopping destination has continued to grow, with asset manager Global Mutual outlining ambitious plans for further developments throughout 2025.
Nicky Lovell, head of outlets and retail destinations at Global Mutual, highlighted the synergy between the two businesses:
“Once again, we’re thrilled to be offering something totally new to our Dalton Park customers for 2025. Both Dalton Park and Hays Travel align very closely in brand values by wanting to offer a brilliant service to their customers and the communities that they operate in.”
Jane Schumm, retail director at Hays Travel, emphasised the strategic decision behind the new location:
“Dalton Park is the region’s largest outlet shopping destination and is becoming an increasingly popular hotspot for visitors thanks to its vast range of shopping, catering, and leisure retailers. It made perfect sense for us to open our latest Hays Travel branch at the centre to offer our expert services to an ever-growing audience.”
With continued expansion plans for Dalton Park and increased consumer confidence in booking through travel agents, Hays Travel’s arrival marks another step in the evolution of the centre’s retail and leisure offering.
