by Alice Scarsi
Caravan sales company achieves impressive results after conversion of a warehouse into new showroom
A caravan sales company has hit a five-year high with an expected annual turnover of £9 million following refurbishment.
The news comes following Yorkshire Caravans, in Bawtry – the oldest and one of the largest independent retailers of caravans and leisure vehicles in the UK – recent conversion of an empty warehouse into a showroom and the launch of a new website which has seen an increase in sales.
Managing director Jon Goulden commented: “We’ve weathered the recession and we’re hoping for a continuation of the staycation trend.
“Barclays funding has enabled us to transform an empty warehouse into the North’s largest caravan showroom and we’ve hit record sales for the first time in over five years.”
The history of Yorkshire Caravans dates back to 1931, when Percy Smith, owner of a petrol filling station, started to sell caravans after noticing how much attention the one temporarily parked in his station was attracting. From that moment, the newly born family industry started to expand, buying acres of land and becoming a leader in the sector.
Today, the company sells more than 3,500 a year and employs over 50 people. Yorkshire Caravans’ example seems to confirm that the leisure vehicle industry is a solid and growing business that, as has recently been reported, contributes to more than £6 billion a year to the UK economy.
