by David Bates
British caravan trade expanding into Asian market
British caravan manufacturers are experiencing a rise in international demand, with the Asian market set to boom.
Hull-based company Swift has reported an increase in export sales of a third, to £12 million. The consistently popular markets in the Netherlands and Germany remain integral to Swift’s overseas success, but the Yorkshire manufacturer have witnessed a marked boost in Asian customers.
In China, caravanning remains very much a peripheral pastime, however, the government are set to invest heavily in promoting domestic holidays. As a result, Swift is searching for a Chinese industrial partner to exploit the projected surge in caravan popularity.
Nick Page, Swift’s commercial director, explained: “The market is very small, but even getting 0.1 per cent of the Chinese population would explode our business.”
Swift had an annual turnover of £200 million, having made 8,500 touring caravans and 2,500 motorhomes last year, yet the Chinese market offers a potentially huge expansion of their £12 million in exports.
The domestic market is on a reciprocal trajectory, with a 40 per cent rise in those looking to live in British residential caravan parks.
Dean Westmoreland, chief executive of luxury holiday home makers Omar, said: “We see park homes as a solution to the housing shortage in the UK, and it’s becoming popular for people who have retired and looking to downsize”. He is however, aware of the limitations which restrictions on planning permission for caravan sites could impose.
Nevertheless, demand for their homes, which sell for between £75,000 and £500,000 has outgrown their current facilities and their Brandon Headquarters are undergoing a 40,000 square feet expansion.
