By William Coleman
The market for new and second hand leisure vehicles keeps growing and growing as more UK residents are opting to choose a caravan for the next holiday. Another sector within the industry that is seeing a real boom is the leisure vehicle rental market. At last month’s NEC Motorhome and Caravan Show the UK’s first nationwide motorhome franchise business was launched.
The company opted for a name that simply says what it does on the tin, The Motorhome Hire Franchise. The company made their first public appearance last month at the UK’s largest trade show to share and highlight some new and exciting opportunities for holiday makers.
The franchise was set up by motorhome specialist David Gill who, having run Motorhome Hire Scotland since 2010, spotted a gap in the market for a concept that enabled others to build their own successful business based on his proven model.
David Gill said, “The motorhome hire industry is thriving, with holidaymakers turning to it as a less expensive alternative to holidaying abroad, with the introduction of new routes across the country only increasing popularity further.
“However, with over 200 independent motorhome hire businesses across the UK, customer service and experience varies enormously, so this national network of motorhome hire ‘hubs’ means consumers can be safe in the knowledge that the brand will deliver the same high quality vehicles and service every time. Our years of professionalism in the motorhome industry, combined with strong franchising experience offers a proposition that sets new standards in the market.”
Mr Gill and his team plan to launch 25 franchise locations, branded Gill’s Motorhomes, that will be supplied with premium motorhomes by leading European motorhome manufacturer Adria.
The Motorhome Hire Franchise has already secured the first of its UK ‘hubs’ in Swindon, to be managed by Alan Amos, with only 25 locations in total available for franchise. The team is now looking for motivated and talented individuals to become a selected business partner, developing a successful business through a strong franchise model.
Alan Amos, who will be opening the first franchise in Swindon comments, “I’ve always had a passion for motorhomes and the travelling opportunities they offer and having a range of business experience throughout my career, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine the two and build my own venture.
“So far the support and guidance I’ve received from the entire team at The Motorhome Hire Franchise has been second-to-none and has filled me with confidence for the next steps of this process – I can’t wait to get started!”
Following their successful launch at the NEC The Motorhome Hire Franchise have recently unveiled an epic 5 year partnership with leading European motorhome manufacturer Adria.
Adria has committed to provide 500 luxury motorhomes to the value of £30M to the company over five years to service its planned franchise network. This will make the Motorhome Hire Franchise the UK’s only supplier of Adria’s superior vehicles for rental.
Slavica Sterk, managing director of Adria Concessionaires said: “At Adria we have grown a strong market share over many years across Europe but our recent research shows there is a trend for ‘trying’ over ‘buying’ with younger generations in the UK, as they are increasingly looking for experiences over investments.
This has created a key opportunity for market penetration in the UK and the partnership with The Motorhome Hire Franchise is our chance to really shake up the marketplace with this new proposition.”
So there you have it, another large piece of evidence that the caravan and motorhome holiday is very much back in fashion all across the UK. A lot of people, especially the younger generations, want to have a “staycation” holiday but may not have the funds to invest in a leisure vehicle, especially if they want to get on the property ladder. Renting a motorhome means they can be included in the community and enjoy the holiday freedom that we all love.
To find out more visit The Motorhome Hire Franchise.
