The businessman who founded Barrhead Travel has died aged 80. Bill Munro started his one-stop shop in Barrhead Main Street in 1975 when he couldn’t find a travel agent which was open late to book his own holiday and he realised there was a gap in the market.
He built it up to be one of the top travel agents in the UK and it won a string of industry awards. Former banker Bill described the early days of his travel agents as “tough and long” but said he pursued his dream of being his own boss “with hard work, dedication and great team” to support him.
After a period of expansion in the 80s and 90s, which coincided with a UK boom of consumers travelling abroad for their annual holidays, Bill opened shops in almost every major Scottish town and city. Eventually, the firm was turning over £100million annually, with 400 staff working out of 20 shops.
In 2007, Bill handed over the reins to daughter Sharon, saying at the time: “I think I have taken the business to a certain level and Sharon is taking it to a much higher level.” Described as “one of the trailblazers in UK travel”, Bill received a lifetime achievement gong at the Travel Achievement Awards in 2010.
The business was sold to US based travel conglomerate Travel Leaders Group for an undisclosed amount in 2018. Bill died peacefully at home in Thorntonhall, near Glasgow, after falling ill in the summer.
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