A luxury villa rental brand started by two brothers in the spare bedroom of their family home five years ago is set to create a further 20 jobs at Discovery Park to help cope with overseas demand.
James and Tom Mannings, from Sandwich, Kent, started the Top Villas business in 2010 with an investment of less than £1,000. The company, which joined Discovery Park in 2013, now has 30 staff with a worldwide property portfolio of more than $5 billion.
This month the company moved into newly refurbished office space in The Gateway building at Discovery Park, complete with a creative area for staff breaks and an American style diner.
As part of the UK’s leading Enterprise Zone, Top Villas has benefited from super-fast broadband, which has proved a great advantage of the company’s web focused operation.
It is the second move on site for the business, which allows customers to search and book more than 5,000 luxury villas at 100 destinations around the world, from Anguilla in The Caribbean to Disney, Orlando and Miami in the United States.
Director James Mannings, said: “We started here in 2013 with just 10 staff and it’s really grown form there. From the start the location and facilities here at Discovery Park have really worked for the business.
“Having grown up in Sandwich, it’s great to be able to give something back to our community too from hiring locally, including supporting young people into getting their first taste of work through apprenticeships.
He said: “The location is great for us. Discovery Park is one of the most impressive business centres in Europe and it’s an inspiring place to come to work with exceptional facilities and the space to grow. Our staff and clients love it here.”
The brothers have a lot in the pipeline with Tom moving shortly to Florida to expand their Orlando office with ambitions to grow Top Villas Realty, their real estate business. Closer to home the pair are adding more French properties to their European portfolio.
James, added: “We currently have 30 members of staff but the new office can hold up to 50 so we are looking to grow the team over the next year or two. It’s great as we’ve been doubling our floor space with each move.”
Anna Stone, Leasing Director, Discovery Park, said: “Top Villas are another great example of why Discovery Park is the destination for businesses that are going places.
“In the short time they have been here, the company has gone from strength to strength, providing local jobs and creating opportunities that not only support Discovery Park, but also the wider community.”