by Ed Davies
Swift Group surpassed all expectations at this year’s Motorhome and Caravan Show with their best ever performance in touring caravans and the third best in motorhomes
Sales at the show alone are projected to exceed £35 million, boosting an already high start to the season with total retail sales from September exceeding £55mn.
The Motorhome and Caravan Show is the industry’s most important retail event of the year and the first opportunity to showcase the major new launches of Swift Basecamp and Escape.
On touring caravans, all ranges performed extremely well with growth of 11% versus last year but the star performance came from Sprite, the UK’s number one caravan range, with growth of over 20%.
Across all ranges, fixed beds layouts proved most popular especially the novel mid-transverse washroom.
“I am delighted by the strong start we have achieved to the 2017 season underpinned by this record breaking show,” said group commercial director Nick Page.
“The success this year supports Swift Group’s approach which is based on innovative products, stylish design and high quality construction all packaged together to offer outstanding value.
“New product launches and major initiatives, such as Swift Command, where we are the only manufacturer to offer an APP based vehicle management system, ensure we retain our position as the UK’s leading manufacturer.”
Swift’s new crossover camping vehicle: Basecamp, opened the entire show and the three models were inundated with show attendees throughout the six days.
Targeted at the ‘young at heart’ outdoor adventurer, Basecamp attracted interest from a wide range of people.
Over 25% of the year’s volumes has been sold and the first export order secured from Swift’s Korean partner Bluebird.
For Motorhomes, the outstanding performance was the new Escape range with growth of over 40% compared to last year.
