Coachman Caravans

Coachman Caravans at Hull’s Caravan Extravaganza 2007

17/09/2007

Coachman Caravans exhibited its entire range of 20 touring caravans and introduced three brand new models at the Lawns Caravan Show in September. Held at The Lawns in Cottingham, the show is the largest outdoor caravan event in Europe, which each year attracts in excess of 20,000 visitors from all over the UK and Europe.

The new models in Coachman’s VIP, Pastiche and Laser ranges are designed to meet increasing customer demand for fixed beds. Fixed beds, which are not folded away or turned into seating areas during the day, are becoming increasingly popular in touring caravans. In each of Coachman’s three new, four berth models, fixed beds are provided. Their introduction completes the Coachman Caravan range, as Jim Hibbs, Managing Director of Coachman Caravans, explains:

“We now have a product for every single market, with two, four, five and six berth layouts now included in the range. We have introduced three new layouts this year to accommodate the increasing popularity for fixed beds. Caravan buyers used to shy away from fixed beds in preference of a larger bathroom, however, all Coachman caravans are fitted with a state of the art one piece shower cubicle to ensure our customers do not have to sacrifice their bathroom facilities.”

Enhanced security was also a key theme for this year’s caravan show, and Coachman showcased a new satellite monitoring system, the Phantom ProActive, as Jim Hibbs explains:

“We are fitting the Phantom ProActive (in the VIP and Laser ranges) in response to increasing demand for caravan security throughout the industry. Once activated, the system alerts a call centre if the caravan has been stolen and provides exact map co-ordinates to allow swift recovery by the police. This inevitably reduces the damage to stolen caravans due to their swift recovery. More and more people are becoming security conscious and take steps to protect their homes and cars. We decided to give our customers the option to protect their caravans too.”

Coachman is in the final stages of completing a £3 million extension to their factory in Hull, which will enable the company to increase output to match soaring demand. Sales have increased by 11% during the past year, which has been the company’s best to date. This success is due in part to increased spending by an ageing population and the recent floods, which has seen many dealers racing to replenish their stock. It’s also due, according to Jim Hibbs, to an increasing trend amongst buyers to look for a high quality alternative to mass produced products…

Jim Hibbs comments: “Our growth over the past year can also be attributed to the fact that more people are looking for a high quality product. A quality product, which will stand the test of time and retain its re-sale value, is what sets Coachman caravans apart from the rest. We always look forward to the Lawns show because it gives people the opportunity to feel the difference – step into our caravans and see for themselves how well our caravans are made.”

The forthcoming year is promising too, as Jim Hibbs explains:

“We refer to our core customers as the ‘grey market’ – retired people aged 55 +. Mortgage and interest rate rises are unlikely to affect this demographic, therefore they will continue to have a disposable income for leisure pursuits, such as caravanning. We believe our market share will continue to grow as a result of this and plan to further increase output by 9% over the next year. We also hope to employ more factory staff to accommodate this increased demand.”

Coachman Caravans was established in 1986 and continues to operate as one of the leading caravan manufacturers in the industry. The company employs 135 members of staff and is in the final stages of completing a 29,000 sq ft extension to their Sutton Fields factory. The company strives to produce caravans of the highest quality and provides a superior after sales service. Their range includes the Amara, Pastiche, VIP and Laser.

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