THE owners of a shop at Newcastle International Airport have launched a new online operation which they hope will spread its business nationwide.

Ian Chapman and Giles Mortimer, owners of the Traveller store, in the departure lounge of the airport since 2006, have opened HolidayWardrobe.com to sell brands including Superdry and Northface, as well as its own brand beachwear, to holidaymakers everywhere.

Chapman says the progression from the airport store to an online outlet was a natural one.

“We’ve developed a great understanding of what young holidaymakers really want. We see it every day through the airport store and we’re already really excited about the potential of the online offering,” he said.

“We have maintained the same strict guidelines to holidaywardrobe.com that has served us so well with the store. We aim to offer a one-stop holiday shop where every item has earned its place on the shop floor. We view the online store in exactly the same way.”

Chapman and Mortimer, who employ a team of nine at their store, have added three more staff to help develop the website.

Mortimer said: “Like many others, we simply didn’t account for the havoc the ash cloud would wreak. It was a tough time but ultimately it was a blessing.

“That incident forced us to look at a much more sustainable business model and we started planning the website then. That was just about two years ago to the day. Now, we’ve never felt more positive about the future of the business.”

Giles, 45, and 44-year-old Ian first met as youngsters in Darlington. Their business paths crossed several times before joining forces with the opening of their first Traveller store in 1999.

It was first situated on Grey Street in central Newcastle, before expanding into the airport.