London agency to leave the high street after ‘wonderful’ 25 years

Karen Simmonds will host a weekly surgery just round the corner from Travel Matters’ former premises

Travel Matters founder Karen Simmonds told TTG the move had been in the works for 18 months, citing a drop in footfall and changes in staff working patterns.

“We’ve been doing a bit of hybrid work,” she said. “And the lease is coming to an end on Monday (25 March) – we’ve decided we are not going to renew it.”

Simmonds said the change wouldn’t impact clients, with the team keeping in constant touch through daily Zoom meetings and weekly in-person meet-ups.

After Easter, Simmonds will host a weekly surgery at Clapham’s Bistro No3 cafe – just round the corner from Travel Matters’ former Blandfield Road premises with its distinctive purple branding – for those clients still wishing to book in-person.

“We certainly don’t want our customers to think that we’re abandoning them,” she added. “The surgery is outward-facing – it’ll just be me with my computer, having a coffee.”