Pamela Thornton tells Samantha Mayling that there are similarities between the two industries
Q. What is your experience?A. After my father left the Navy, we moved to Cowbridge, but we spent a lot of time abroad in remote spaces because he was a helicopter pilot. I studied economics and then joined a commodity company where I traded sugar, cocoa, and coffee. I have spent over 30 years in the industry, largely supplying cocoa to chocolate manufacturers, which forced me to set up export operations in all generating countries. I enjoyed every minute of it. I have been a representative for over 4 years. I have a stake in a cocoa farm in Brazil and a fruit farm in Ghana. My hobbies are because I haven’t made any money from them.
I have a stake in a cocoa plantation in Brazil and a fruit farm in Ghana. I have them as hobbies because I haven’t made any money from them.
Q. Where do you travel for trading?A. I look at all aspects of cocoa supply and demand and then predict future prices. The major cocoa producers are Ivory Coast and Ghana along with other West African countries. Ecuador is the third-biggest, while Brazil, Peru, Colombia and the Dominican Republic are important Latin American producers. In Asia, the focus is on Indonesia. I know all these countries well.
I’ve also worked with coffee, so countries like Vietnam are on my agenda. In November I was in West Africa for two weeks and in January I will be in Ecuador and Colombia. I enjoyed the origin aspect of the job, which largely involves grueling travel, but working with other wonderful people is rewarding. I try to add downtime to business travel to minimize theft.
I’ve enjoyed the original aspect of the job, which largely involves grueling travel, but working with other amazing people is rewarding.
Q. How did you start traveling in 2021?A. My mum owned a clothing store in Cowbridge for 30 years and then rented it out to Tailor Made Travel, who became manager in September 2020. Hays Travel took over the group and added Cowbridge store, but we couldn’t come to an agreement on the terms of the lease, so I said, “Maybe I can rent to the women and set up a company myself. “For the first 3 months, Simon Morgan [former CEO of Tailor Made] pleaded with me and Hays Independence Group (IG) as a consortium. Hays IG gives me access to a wide diversity of vendors, competitive commissions, and simplifies the monetary facets of the business. Hays has provided us with intelligent support, encouragement and visibility.
Hays IG provides me with a wide diversity of suppliers, competitive commissions and simplifies the monetary aspects of the business.
Q. How did your first branch deal with Covid restrictions in 2021?A. For the first five months we sold vacations and then spent the next 3 months canceling them due to Omicron, so 2021 was a loss. In January 2022, other people were looking for a change of scenery. There have been more audits and new checks, but business has improved.
Q. How was the Association of Tourism and Adventure Providers convention approved in October? R. Je promotes tourism and adventure and I have gained smart wisdom in Liverpool. From 1 January, I will be providing incentives to the team in the form of subsidised air to spend their holidays on their own so they can get to know first-hand the wonderful journeys on offer. I’m still worried about the cocoa business, so I leave sales to my experienced team.
Starting January 1, I will offer incentives to the team in the form of a subsidized plane to spend the holidays alone.
Q. What sort of marketing do you do?A. We are about to launch our website and take advantage of social media. We also use local publications and support community activities. Being embedded in the community is very important to us. Word-of-mouth remains the best form of advertising, but I am old school and believe an employer has an obligation to contribute to its wider community. We sponsor the local music festival, a theatre group, various sports clubs and choirs.
Trading is not a hierarchical career, but it requires teamwork and the contribution of others to values, which is precisely like running an agency.
Q. What skills from your business career have you found useful when managing agencies?A. Looking at the big picture; Don’t be disappointed by disorders and try to fix them; Pay contractors immediately to put you first. and decide on smart places for sites. Trading is not a hierarchical career, but it requires teamwork and the contribution of others to values, which is precisely how to run a travel agency.
How did you expand from Cowbridge to Porthcawl, Barry and Penarth?
Travel is a high-volume, low-margin business, so single-store returns don’t justify the control time. I called Cowbridge Travel and Porthcawl Travel for their location to have “a local identity”. The retail outlets in Barry and Penarth are called Thornton Travel because they are close to each other. Compared to other industries, we pay quite little and rely on the love of our workers to be competitive. My strategy has been to set up bright, trendy retail outlets with a laid-back vibe, offer family-friendly work schedules, and then offer a decent wage so that I can attract and retain workers and expect consumers to come.
My rule of thumb is that it takes 3 years to establish a business and make it profitable, and so far we are ahead of schedule. We sell everything, but I’m a company that believes in other people’s idea: the staff and the consumers. – That’s why I inspire advertising for more luxurious and active holidays, as well as specialized trips for lovers of gastronomy or culture.
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