May
Caravan Editorial– May 2013
Retail business started quite reasonably at the beginning of January, then slowed dramatically when the first snow arrived; thereafter, activity during February and March was dictated by the weather, with patches of consumer interest interspersed with longer lulls. That pattern continued until after Easter, severely affecting many holidays and also t... more
May
Caravan Market Trends - May 2013
Touring Caravans
New Sales
According to statistics released by the NCC a total of 4,626 touring caravans were completed between December 2012 and February 2013, 1.7% above the total of 4,549 units produced in same period twelve months previously. As a result of this modest increase, the moving annual total (m-a-t) shows a slight... more
February
Caravan Editorial - February 2013
Zero percent finance / Declaration of Finance Commission
Zero percent or heavily subsidised consumer finance offerings are firmly established within retailing, particularly in high value markets such as the automotive sector. The concept has been recommended to the caravan retail industry for some time but had no takers until L... more
February
Caravan Market Trends - February 2013
Touring Caravans
New Sales
Figures provided by the National Caravan Council (NCC) showed that 5,106 touring caravans were completed between September and November 2012; this was 4.8% lower than the total of 5,365 produced in the same months of 2011. As a result the moving annual total (m-a-t) of production stoo... more
November
Caravan Editorial - November 2012
It was confirmed earlier this year that the NCC booking at London ExCel for 2013 had been cancelled due to logistical and storage difficulties, lack of camping facilities nearby and its location within London Emission Zone; the industry stated it would ‘try to find a suitable alternative site’. Naturally enough it was not necessary to look f... more
November
Caravan Market Trends - November 2012
TOURING CARAVANS
New Sales
According to figures released by the National Caravan Council (NCC) production of touring caravans between July and September 2012 fell by 16.1% compared with the same months last year, to 4,184 units. This left the moving annual total (m-a-t) at 18,829 tourers, 21.9% below the figure at the end of... more
August 
Caravan Editorial - August 2012
During the spring and early summer months the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, plus much of Western Europe, experienced some of the heaviest rainfall on record. It was ironic that the heavens opened almost from the moment that drought orders had been approved for many regions, as a consequence of a second winter of unusually low rainfal... more
August
Caravan Market Trends - August 2012
Touring Caravans
According to figures released by the Nation Caravan Council, manufacturers have continued to scale back production and completed only 5,362 touring caravans between March and May 2012, 9.5% below the total of 5,922 built in the same three months last year. This left the moving annual total (m-a-t) of producti... more
May
Caravan Editorial - May 2012
The Chancellor of the Exchequer dealt a blow to the Caravan industry in his March budget, with proposals to introduce VAT at the standard rate of 20% on all holiday caravan sales from 1st October 2012. Such a tax is likely to have wide ranging negative consequences, not only for the caravan industry, but also for the many businesses that are indirectl... more
May
Caravan Market Trends - May 2012
TOURING CARAVANS
According to figures released by the National Caravan Council (NCC) 4,549 touring caravans were completed between December 2011 and February 2012, representing a fall of 31.4% from the 6,627 units recorded in the same months one year ago. This left the moving-annual-total (m-a-t) of production in the twelve months... more
February
Caravan Editorial - February 2012
It is apparent that 2012 will see an expansion in the variety of caravan products offered to consumers by UK manufacturers, even though the volume of new sales is almost certain to be lower than in recent years.
On one hand, touring caravans are becoming lighter, as most manufacturers look to offer models aimed squarely at owners of ca... more
February
Caravan Market Trends - February 2012
TOURING CARAVANS
According to statistics released by the NCC, production of touring caravans in the three months from September to November was reduced to 5,370 units in 2011, down from 7,362 units in 2010 to a fall of 27.1%. This left the moving annual total (m-a-t) at the end of November 2011 at 22,704 tourers, 12.7% belo... more
November
Caravan Editorial - November 2011
The Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC, the first to be run by NCC Events, achieved an impressive total of 93,323 visitors in October, helped by over 58,000 advance bookings. Most days produced a reasonable attendance and a crowd of more than 26,000 on the Saturday meant pressure to view exhibits was so great that it caused difficulties for g... more
November
Caravan Market Trends - November 2011
TOURING CARAVANS
Figures released by the National Caravan Council (NCC) showed that 4,987 touring caravans were built between July and September, 15.2% below the total of 5,879 completed in the same three months last year. As a consequence the moving-annual-total (m-a-t) of production at the end of September dropped by 6.2%... more
August
Caravan Editorial - August 2011
Following product launches to the public at The Lawns and Beaulieu, the 2012 model year will see the caravan industry return to running its own indoor exhibitions, firstly the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the N.E.C. in October and then the Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show at Excel (London) in February 2012.
As major stakeholders the ... more
August
Caravan Market Trend - August 2011
TOURING CARAVANS
Figures released by the National Caravan Council showed that 5,922 touring caravans were produced between March and May 2011, 14.2% fewer than in the same three months last year. This brought the moving-annual-total (m-a-t) of production to 25,148 tourers, 2.1% above the previous total of 24,636 units.
more
May
Caravan Editorial and Market Trends - May 2011
Given the strength of orders placed early in the 2011 model year by rallyists and existing caravan owners, it was not surprising that franchised dealers continued to be busy with handovers right up to the start of the Easter holidays.
However, since the beginning of this calendar year, and particularly during the NEC show ... more
February
Caravan Editorial and Market Trends– February 2011
The production figures for caravan holiday homes were misreported in the printed edition of the February Guide; the figures which are quoted here have been reviewed and are correct.
There is no doubt that particularly difficult weather conditions were encountered during this win... more
November
Caravan Editorial and Market Trends - November 2010
Located in different halls at the NEC the show had a different look this year, although once in amongst the stands everything quickly started to look normal.
Initial reports were that visitor numbers were somewhat lower than last year, and although there were claims that the quality of enquiry was a... more
August
Caravan Editorial - August 2010
As most in this industry had suspected, the caravan market was unable to avoid a significant wave of consumer indifference during May and June, as those members of the general public not distracted by the World Cup contemplated the even worse news contained in the recent Emergency Budget and the promised (now much feared) autumn spending... more
May
Caravan Editorial and Market Trends - May 2010
Many subscribers have acknowledged that the cold start to this year has left the caravan industry with more work to do and less time in which to do it. However, with all air traffic having recently been grounded across the whole of Europe, competitors in other markets have had an even tougher time of it.
The i... more
February
Caravan Editorial and Market Trends - February 2010
The severe weather experienced in the winter of 2009/2010 had a major impact right across the UK, taking or seriously affecting the lives of a great many.
Within the caravan industry, with raw material stocks already significantly reduced, the resulting disruption to just-in-time supply lines had an adverse ... more
