“You will never get from the Internet what you get from a travel professional,” says Liberty Travel president Emma Jupp as she marked the opening of Liberty's Philadelphia Travel Center.
This new flagship store is the third Liberty Travel has opened - New York and Boston are the others - with the Philadelphia store spanning nearly 7,000 square feet and two floors.
The retail store is anchored by Liberty Travel and sister brands, including Flight Center and the business/corporate operations of Corporate Traveler and FCm. Also in the space is Travel Associates, specializing in leisure trips with consultants exclusively by appointment.
Liberty notes all of the businesses in the Philadelphia Travel Center are under the FC USA Inc. umbrella, Liberty Travel’s parent company. Upon opening 60 employees will be occupying the new space, with plans to grow to nearly 75 people in the coming months.
The new flagship is located at 1524 Chestnut Street, which was selected for a variety of reasons, including the centrally-located positioning in downtown Philadelphia which enjoys abundant foot traffic, Liberty says.
The Philadelphia flagship store marks the 29th location for Liberty Travel in Pennsylvania (with three in Philadelphia) out of 170 in the U.S., offering proof that bricks and mortar are alive and well, Liberty says.
"Our commitment to brick and mortar stores demonstrate our unwavering belief in travel professionals. They are an irreplaceable part of the vacation-planning process and the foundation upon which our brand was built and continues to thrive on,” Jupp said.
Three more stores are planned to open by January 2015 and a fourth flagship is set to open in Los Angeles in mid-February 2015.
The store will be open seven days a week (8:00 am to 8:00 pm weekdays and 10:00 am to 6:00 pm weekends); phone (215) 972-0200. General manager Ilyse Agi will oversee the Liberty Travel operation.
Visit www.LibertyTravel.com