Travel operator Sandersley is different from most of its rivals. UK package holiday companies would love to have plenty of repeat business. I n an effort to attract trade, they are forced to spend enormous sums on marketing -- but they are operating in a very competitive market. So, although the big travel companies try hard to create attractive brands, if you ask the customers delayed at airports, many aren't even sure which company they've booked with. Ask customers of Sandersley, however, and this is probably their third or fourth holiday with the company. A Sandersley holiday doesn't come cheap; but for their customers this isn't an issue. The attraction is that they get an activity based 'club' which has escaped the notice of the general public. Even the location of the holiday is of minor importance. A high proportion of customers are families,because the adults are free to enjoy the activities on offer, while small children are in the care of people employed by Sandersley just for this purpose. These nannies get free flights and meals on top of their pay. Interestingly, most of the company's senior managers began at the bottom: for example, Carol Fletcher, the Marketing Manager, came as a ski guide in 1985, went away to set up her own catering business, sold it for a considerable sum, and returned to Sandersley in the late 1990s. The company's performance over the years means that It gets a steady stream of offers from large tour operators wanting to buy the company. Jerry Baker, who started the firm, came very close to selling' it for 30 million a few years ago. But at the last minute, Garmond, the potential buyer, was itself taken over by an American travel company which didn't see a place for Sandersley in the group. So where does that leave Sandersley? Despite greatly increasing its turnover in the past four years, the company has a careful attitude to expansion. Its decision not to sell skiing holidays in North America proved the right one when many of its rivals failed to persuade British travelers to take the ten - hour flight. Learning from experiences like these, Sandersley's two recent departures from its main activity are the acquisitions of restaurant chains in Spain and in Turkey. And as for moving into the mass market for its holiday? Sandersley is much too successful to want to do that. 11. Sandersley differs from most other UK travel operators in