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TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
Summer 2017
        the
Business

                                             Issue 59
                                             THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE NCC

14            19             26
Upcoming      Touring into   £4 million
trade and     the future     Salop Leisure
consumer                     resort opens
shows

Hitching up an icon: the Swift
and Airstream deal – page 10
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
inside this issue
                                                                                               4 News     The latest industry happenings

                                                                                              15 February NEC show
                                                                                                          Looking to the future

                                                                                              16 Exhibition update
                                                                                                          Lawns and October shows

                                                                                              22 Paul Pleszko
                                                                                                          40 years in the industry

10              Airstream hooks up
                with Swift                                                                    29 Industry issues
                                                                                                          Misuse of holiday caravans

                                                      25 Freedom to Go
                                                         TV campaign                          30 Towing Working Group
                                                                                                          Increasing safety on the roads

                                                                                              32 Saleroom Recent park purchases

                                                                                              34 Personnel file
                                                                                                          Promotions and appointments

19 Touring into
   the future                                                                                 36 Legal and lobbying
                                                                                                          Data protection awareness

                                                                                              40 Vital statistics
Contributors: Alicia Dunne;
Frank Finch; Nick Harding;
Mike Hopper; Richard                                                                                      The industry in facts and figures
Prestwich; Jenny Summers

                                                                                              46 Cyber crime
                                                                                                          Protecting your business

                                      26 Salop Leisure opens
                                         new £4 million resort                                50 What I’ve learned
                                                                                                          Ross Edwards of Travelworld

                              Published by                      Editor: Louise Wood           Advertising:                The views in this magazine
                              National Caravan Council,         louise.w@thencc.org.uk        advertising@thencc.org.uk   are not necessarily those of
                              Catherine House, Victoria Road,   Tel: 07824 994690                                         the NCC
                              Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1SS                                   Subscriptions:
                              Tel: 01252 318251                 Design & Production:          Karen Borra
                              Fax: 01252 322596                 Richard Charnley              karen.b@thencc.org.uk
                              Email editorial@thencc.org.uk     richard@charnleypublishing.   Tel: 01252 318251
                              Web www.thencc.org.uk             co.uk
                                                                Tel: 01749 831416
www.thencc.org.uk
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
news

    Diary
    26-29 June
    CTSI Conference
    Harrogate International Centre

    11 July (tbc)
    NCC Holiday Parks Specialist
    Committee
    Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,
    London

    12 July
    Touring Caravan & Motorhome
    Technical Panel
    Truma,
    Derby

    2-7 September
    The Lawns Trade Show
    Cottingham,
    Hull                                  l NCC Events (NCCE) has signed a new 5-year rolling contract with the
                                          NEC, giving its Birmingham-based shows long-term certainty. Pictured
    19 September                          at the signing are Anthony Trevelyan, chairman of NCCE, Kathryn James,
    NCC Board Meeting                     MD of the NEC, and John Lally, CEO of NCCE. See story p15.
    Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,
    London

    21-24 September
                                          New owners for                           Activities at
    The Southern Caravan Trade            residential park                         Away Resorts
    Show
    Beaulieu,                             Deanland Wood Park near Hailsham,        Away Resorts has opened the
    Hampshire                             one of the UK’s largest residential      UK’s biggest inflatable Aquaglide
                                          parks and a NCC member, has new          aqua park at its Tattershall Lakes
    17-22 October                         owners. HSBC Bank has financed a         Country Park in Lincolnshire.
    The Motorhome & Caravan               £14 million deal with Surrey based       The aqua park includes a floating
    Show                                  family-owned business, Holly Lodge,      assault course, trampoline, a
    NEC,                                  enabling the firm to acquire and         human catapult and the UK’s
    Birmingham                            expand the 176-acre park, which          only volley ball court on water.
                                          has 397 privately owned homes.           Indoor activities – ranging from
    8-9 November                          The park has a number of facilities,     make your own lava lamps to mad
    Holiday Park & Resort                 including a pub, shop, post office,      scientist workshops – take place
    Innovation Show                       doctor’s surgery and outdoor heated      inside the park’s new £4 million
    NEC,                                  swimming pool. There is permission       entertainment centre, which
    Birmingham                            for further homes and the new owners     includes a swimming pool, hot
                                          plan to expand further.                  tubs, gym and spa.
    15 November
    Touring Caravan & Motorhome
    Technical Panel
    Truma,
                                          Deloitte on holiday spending
    Derby                                 Holiday spending over the next three     The figures are part of the latest
                                          months is forecast to be “markedly       leisure consumer data by Deloitte
                                          lower” than last year. However, older    which found that UK leisure spending
                                          consumers aged 55-plus are expecting     remained resilient in the first quarter
                                          to increase their spending on holidays   of 2017. There are signs, however, that
                                          over the next three months –             consumers may start to rein in their
                                          particularly on long-haul.               purchasing of other leisure activities.

4   THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
John’s spot...

LEGO® caravan goes on show at Beaulieu                                            John Lally
                                                                                  NCC Director General
The life-size LEGO® caravan, first        awareness of leisure vehicles and the
created for the NEC show, has gone on     great adventures you can have with
display in the National Motor Museum      them.”
at Beaulieu. The caravan, now badged           Using 215,158 LEGO® bricks,
in the Freedom to Go livery, holds the    it features electric lights, running    While most predict a continued
Guinness World Record as ‘the largest     water and seats that fold into a bed.   conservative majority after the
caravan built with interlocking plastic   The unique caravan is on show until     election, a low turnout due to the
bricks’.                                  October, next to the Caravan and        ‘foregone conclusion’ could see
    Jenny Summers, NCC group              Motorhome Club collection.              other parties recover ground. The
marketing                                                                         party manifestos may promote
director, said:                                                                   a wider policy story, but the
“Freedom to                                                                       reality is that Brexit will dominate
Go is delighted                                                                   Government’s agenda. It’s good
to have the                                                                       that the general election has not
LEGO® caravan                                                                     yet disrupted the high level of
on display at the                                                                 sales of leisure vehicles and park
National Motor                                                                    homes.
Museum.                                                                               With many manufacturers
    “The LEGO®                                                                    running at capacity, some
caravan was                                                                       are taking the initiative and
built with                                                                        investing in factory extensions
the intention                                                                     or new facilities. Sterling
of raising                                                                        remains weak, potentially
                                                                                  fuelling further interest in
                                                                                  the UK manufacturing sector
                                                                                  from Europe – and further
 New showroom for Campbells Caravans                                              consolidation.
 Lancashire-based Campbells Caravans has opened a new showroom facility               In the parks sector,
 in Blackburn following a £100,000 investment. Located on the previous            institutional money funding
 Read Caravans site, the new site will specialise in the sale of new and          park acquisitions is a trend set to
 used caravans. Superbike champion Carl Fogarty cut the ribbon on                 continue. Investment can only
 the opening weekend.                                                             be a good thing, with many parks
                                                                                  purchased for development.
                                                                                      The NCC is seeing more
                                                                                  requests for industry data from
                                                                                  banks, investment institutions
                                                                                  and research companies. It
                                                                                  is clear we need more robust
                                                                                  statistics and the NCC will be
                                                                                  issuing a survey for completion,
                                                                                  covering the different sectors.
                                                                                  When dealing with government
                                                                                  departments/regulatory bodies
                                                                                  or in the lobby, the NCC has to
                                                                                  put forward hard facts backed
                                                                                  up by statistical analysis.
                                                                                      Your support in helping
                                                                                  us collect this vital statistical
                                                                                  information will be greatly
                                                                                  appreciated.

Meeting to reduce towing accidents (l to r): Martin Spencer, The Caravan
& Motorhome Club; Rodney Kumar, IAMRoadSmart; Alicia Dunne, NCC;
Kathy Wilson-Ellis, Highways England; Tim Booth, NaVCIS/CSSG; Ian
Hewlett and Rob Ganley, The Camping and Caravanning Club. See p30-31.

                                                                                               THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017   5
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
news

    Majestic deal for Marquis and Elddis
    Marquis has announced that for
    the 2018 season, they will be again
    working with Elddis to produce the
    award winning Majestic range of
    motorhomes. Now in its seventh year,
    the Majestic range is one of the UK’s
    best-selling “dealer specials”.
        “This agreement, Marquis’
    largest ever for an exclusive range,
    shows our continued commitment
    to UK manufacturers and is worth
    over £20m – a 10% increase on our
    previous year’s order,” said Alan
    Buckwell, Marquis sales director.       Celebration of Britain’s literary stars
        Pictured are (l to r) Rob Quine,
    UK MD and Jorg Reithmeier (executive
    Board Member Erwin Hymer Group
    (back row); Spencer Davis, Erwin
    Hymer Group UK sales director and
    Alan Buckwell, sales director Marquis
    (front row).

    Omar Group                              Dometic’s annual                         Faster cheque
    Limited receives                        report available                         clearing announced
    investment from                         Dometic Group AB has published           A faster, industry-wide, image-based
    Rutland Partners                        its annual report for 2016 – it is       cheque clearing system is to come into
                                            also available as a digital version at   effect later this year.
    Omar Group Limited (“Omar               annualreport.dometic.com.                    The Cheque and Credit Clearing
    Group”), the park home and lodge                                                 Company (the organisation behind the
    manufacturer, has announced                                                      cheque clearing system) announced
    a significant investment in the                                                  the new system will go live with some
    business from Rutland Partners                                                   banks and building societies from
    (“Rutland”), a London-based                                                      30 October 2017. During the second
    private equity firm.                                                             half of 2018, all the UK’s banks and
        The investment will be used                                                  building societies will clear cheques via
    to fund further expansion in the                                                 the image-based system to the faster
    growing park home and lodge                                                      timescale.
    sector. In conjunction with the                                                      Cheques deposited on a weekday
    transaction, Paul Pleszko will retire                                            will be cleared by 23.59pm the next
    as Chairman after 40 years in the                                                working day. There is no change to the
    business (see story p22-24).                                                     way cheques are written and banked.
        David Wardrop, Partner at
    Rutland commented, “Omar has
    a great product offering … and is                                                l A video explaining how tourism
    well positioned for future growth.                                               employment ‘benefits everyone,
    We are backing an excellent                                                      everywhere, everyday’ has been
    management team, led by Dean                                                     posted on YouTube. It mentions that
    Westmoreland, who have a proven                                                  the caravan industry supports 6,500
    track record.”                                                                   manufacturing jobs – and more in
        The terms of the agreement                                                   the supply chain. www.youtube.
    were not disclosed.                                                              com/watch?v=uxHDjLK_hy0

6     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
TripAdvisor to
collaborate with
VisitScotland
TripAdvisor has agreed to collaborate
with Scotland’s tourism agency in a
deal which could boost the Scottish
economy. The deal will see the
two organisations work on a joint
marketing campaign in the UK.
    Scotland has also been named
the preferred “test partner” for new
destination marketing services in
Europe, allowing TripAdvisor and
VisitScotland to to understand how
                                            Willerby expands its glamping offering
technology can be better used.              Willerby Innovations has expanded       as standard, so it is suitable
                                            its boutique glamping range with        for a range of uses, including
                                            the launch of the Hive Lite. The Hive   temporary accommodation units
Open water?                                 Collection is a range of compact        at festivals, glamping sites, home
                                            accommodation pods with fully           offices or cinema rooms. Each
More than 1.2 million eligible              customisable design-led interiors.      single sleep-4 accommodation
businesses and other non-household          The collection already includes the     pod features LED lighting and
customers in England can now                woodland-themed Bluebell, retro         central heating throughout. It
choose their supplier of water and          surfer styled Reef and the Deck,        measures 8m by 3.6m and includes
wastewater retail services. To make         with a coastal seaside design.          kitchenette, dining table, shower
the switch, businesses will need                The Hive Lite is built to caravan   room and lounge with two fallout
to determine their water usage              specification (EN1647) on a chassis     beds.
and agree a new contract e.g. by
contacting individual water retailers
or via a cost comparison website.                                                   Park Holidays UK
The switching process takes around a
month to complete and is carried out                                                profits up
by the new retailer.
See www.open-water.org.uk                                                           Increased sales following Britain’s
                                                                                    vote to leave the EU have helped drive
                                                                                    revenues past £130m at Park Holidays
Topping out                                                                         UK, which runs 26 holiday parks in the
for Tingdene                                                                        south of England.
                                                                                        The company reported turnover
A topping out ceremony has been                                                     of £131.5m for the year ended 31
carried out at Tingdene’s new                                                       December 2016, recently filed
£3 million expansion of its production                                              accounts have revealed, an increase of
facility. Maintenance, offline                                                      more than 14%. Profit before tax grew
production and stores facilities are                                                from £26.4m to £31.8m.
being constructed to the side of the                                                    “Holiday home ownership for UK
main factory and the creation of new                                                residents has shown steady increases
offices in the former warehouse area          Holiday home manufacturer             in recent years and this trend continued
is underway. Once completed, the              Willerby has become a corporate       during 2016, with sales volumes
main production area will house two           member of the Bumblebee               increasing after the Brexit vote,” the
production lines, in place of the current     Conservation Trust. Its new           company said in its annual report.
one. Jamie Wilkins, Facilities Manager        WillerBee Campaign is designed            “The holiday home market has
for Tingdene Homes commented:                 to champion the humble                seen a movement towards lodge
“It is great to see our vision coming         bumblebee, whose native               units and larger, higher specification
to fruition … we will end up with one         population is rapidly                 caravans. Lodge sales have increased
of the most modern and efficient              declining.                            in 2016 with all parks now including
production lines in the industry.”                                                  lodges in their sales mix.”

                                                                                                   THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017    7
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
news

8   THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
news

                                                              BLACK HORSE
                                                              COMMENT
                                                              by Nagla Thabet, Head of Franchise
                                                              and Leisure – Black Horse – Asset Finance

                                                              TRANSPARENCY IS
Auto-Trail is supporting the Tyco BMW British
Superbike Team for the 2017 season. The motorhome
manufacturer has supplied the BMW factory team
with a bespoke motorhome - a 2017 Frontier Serrano.
Storage space has been increased, creating space for
                                                              AT THE HEART OF
a paddock scooter and team branding is shown in the
exterior, ensuring the relationship is prominent both
                                                              ALL OUR OPTIONS
beside the track and on the road.
                                                              We’ve seen a lot of national press coverage of the
                                                              motor finance industry recently, and the popularity
Rural Tourism inquiry – England                               of PCP in particular. Customers are at the heart
The Environment Food and        Gardiner (parliamentary       of the vehicle buying journey and so we should all
Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select     under-secretary of state      welcome this increased scrutiny.
Committee (England) was         at DEFRA) outlining five      Customers should always receive absolute
unable to complete its          specific points which the     transparency around their options. Provided
inquiry on Rural Tourism        Committee suggests the        we help ensure genuine understanding of the
before the dissolution of       future Government should      terms of their finance, and provided that lending
Parliament. The inquiry         consider, namely:             is done responsibly with a focus on affordability,
was launched last year          • Support for rural tourism   PCP will continue to be a potential choice for
to seek evidence on how         • Access to rural areas       customers.
policies can encourage          • Broadband and mobile
                                                              We launched our PCP into the leisure market
more people, both from          connectivity
                                                              last year to give caravan and motorhome dealers
the UK and abroad, to visit     • Funding
                                                              access to a new finance option for their
more of England’s rural         • Skills
                                                              customers. This remains the case and it can
places, for longer and at all
                                                              help provide flexibility – particularly for younger
times of the year.              For more information
                                                              families – that might not have been available
    The Committee               on the inquiry, contact
                                                              previously.
chairman wrote to Lord          Alicia.d@thencc.org.uk
                                                              However at the same time, this recent coverage
                                                              – driven primarily by concerns raised by the
The NCC’s Frank
                                                              FCA – serves as a reminder for all of us to play a
Finch (pictured right
                                                              crucial role in ensuring that customers genuinely
with Suzy Davies
AM, Chair of the                                              understand any finance agreement they enter
Cross Party Group on                                          into. There is no substitute for the face to face
Tourism) represented                                          interaction that a visit to a dealership offers – we
Welsh members at                                              need to keep it that way and providing expert
the official pre-                                             guidance on what options are available is a critical
launch of Wales                                               step in doing so.
Tourism Week 2017.
The week-long series
of events started
with a launch in the                                                sponsored by
Senedd and finished
with a tourism
summit.

                                                                                               THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017   9
TheBusiness - Hitching up an icon: the Swift and Airstream deal - page 10 14 19 - Vantage Insurance Services
swift and airstream

     ’Streaming in
     A marriage made in heaven or one of convenience? From a chance
     meeting in Korea to the recently announced partnership, we get the
     inside view on Swift’s plans for Airstream
     Complete fate, based on a chance               It also marks another turn for         up taking over Swift itself – especially
     meeting over two years ago. That’s          Swift. It’s the first time the company    in light of developments earlier this
     the description of the story behind         has entered into an agreement to          year with UK manufacturers being
     the announcement this March of              take over distributorship of another      taken over by foreign concerns.
     Swift Group’s tie-up with America’s         company’s products. Admittedly, it has         Here, Swift Group’s managing
     Airstream.                                  the strongest track record in acquiring   director, James Turner, and commercial
          It sees the UK market leader taking    brands – think Sprite, Bessacarr,         director, Nick Page, tell us more about
     on a brand that, although instantly         Autocruise etc and revitalising them.     the recent announcement of
     recognisable almost worldwide, will         But, this is something different.         the tie-up.
     only ever be a high-end niche product.         Equally, the industry gossip has
     And yet, Swift sees enormous potential      gone the other way, with discussions of
     – not so much in sales as the halo effect   whether Thor Industries, the holding
     it can have on its own portfolio, and       company that owns Airstream, will end
     indeed for caravanning as a whole in
     the UK.

      facts and figures
      l Swift became the sole UK
      distributor for Airstream on 20th
      March 2017 although product will not
      be available until the start of the 2018
      season (mid August 2017).
      l Airstream currently employs 813
      staff. Weekly production rate is
      around 85 units. Total man hours
      per trailer are between 250-400
      depending on size.
      l Swift Group currently employs
      over 1,200 people and produces
      13,500 leisure vehicles a year. The
      breakdown is 8,500 touring caravans,
      2,500 motorhomes and 3,400 caravan
      holiday homes.
      l Swift will also expand its
      production facilities this year, with
      the announcement of an £9 million
      extension to its plant at Cottingham,
      Hull.

10     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
How did it all start?                                        James Turner (JT):      NP: Airstream is iconic and is probably
                  Nick Page (NP): It                         We came back, I took    the most recognisable caravan in the
                  was complete fate.                         a phone call from       world. It has the instant draw for
                  Two years ago,                             Bob Wheeler (CEO        people whether caravan enthusiasts or
                  James and I left                           of Airstream) with      not. It will definitely attract attention
                  the February NEC                           a request to see if     even if it’s not affordable and will
                  show early, to go to                       we’d be interested in   start people thinking about the
                  South Korea and visit   distributing their products in the UK.     whole outdoor experience. From that
Bluebird Enterprises, our distributor         I guess your first reaction to that    initial call to James there were more
and also Airstream’s. We also wanted      is: Why would you? Where’s the             conversations, they came to visit and
to have another look at the emerging      opportunity? But, it doesn’t take long     they also had a look at some of our
Chinese market. In South Korea we         to see where the benefits lie. It’s a      dealers. The business development
made a presentation to Bluebird on        product that doesn’t conflict with the     and approach of both companies
their 10th Birthday celebration and       ones we’ve got, in terms of price or       were so similar. Marketing using
started to chat with the Airstream        style. So, we’re not competing against     the leisure vehicle as the hero in the
guys – we seemed to have a lot in         ourselves. All of a sudden, there was      experience was an approach we had
common as businesses.                     something in the opportunity.              both adopted. Our Command and
                                                                                     Connect systems were things they
                                                                                     were developing themselves.
                                                                                     Timber-less construction in line with
                                                                                     SMART HT was as their radar, the way

                                                                                                    THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017     11
swift and airstream
     they worked with their dealers and            experienced dealers with great sales
     their approach to training dealers was        and service centres used to dealing
     so similar.                                   with high end product. They will
                                                   be strategically located to provide
     What happens in the manufacturing             national coverage. At the end of the
     process?                                      day it is a niche market. We retail in
     NP: Originally, BPW chassis were              excess of 8,000 caravans a year and
     shipped out to the US, then the               will be looking for a network that
     combined body and chassis came to             supplies in excess of 40 in the first
     the UK for fitting out. What we’ve            year.
     opted to do is some fitting out of the            To a certain extent the market will
     interior, in terms of mattresses, soft        dictate the volume and our approach
     furnishings (including fire retardant         and marketing will give the Airstream
     fabrics), bathroom fitments, alarms           brand the very best opportunity to
     etc. White goods – i.e. Thetford              succeed here in the UK.
     toilets, Dometic cookers and fridges –
     will be sent out to the States. They will     JT: There’s potential for the corporate
     also have Duvalay mattresses, Alde            side, too. The German importer Roka
     heating, Sargent electrics – things we        converts shells into high-end catering
     understand, so do our dealers.                units itself. We’ve started talking to
         We can also call on the experience        them about the opportunities there.
     of Anthony Slocock, who was the
     technical director for ALV (the               And the prices?
     previous Airstream importer). He’s            JT: We’re into motorhome-type price
     now working for Airstream full-time,          levels.
     on an international basis, as a design                                                        We’ll be including as standard
     engineer. He is a great resource.There        NP: But, compare that to Germany,            many of what were extras – so
     will be NCC Approval, too.                    a bigger market, where they have             anything between £80,000 and
                                                   higher charges again, about 10 to 15         £90,000 will be a typical price.
     JT: It is an Airstream product. We’re         per cent more. One of the challenges
     not passing it off as a Swift.                that created problems before was the         Marketing activity?
                                                   exchange rate. Ironically, that’s even       JT: Interestingly, too, they will attract
     What’s the plan for distribution?             worse now than when we first started         people who are not part of our
     NP: We will have six very large               talking to Airstream.                        traditional customer base. People
                                                                                                who’ve never thought about owning
                                                                                                a caravan, motorhome or caravan
      key player: Ben Parkin                                                                    holiday home. It’s a unique product –
                          AIRSTREAM BRAND MANAGER                                               people are drawn to it from an interest
                          Nine years in a variety of roles for retailer, Lowdhams, then a       point of view. Even Airstream’s own
                          further four as Regional Sales Manager for Lunar, made for a good     statistics show a big percentage of
                          grounding for Ben Parkin when he took up the newly created role       owners, something like 56 per cent,
                          of Airstream Brand Manager at Swift.                                  have never bought a leisure vehicle
                              His responsibilities include sales, marketing, dealer network     product before.
                          and training. As Nick Page puts it: “It’s an all-encompassing role,
      but the great thing for Ben is, he has at his disposal experts on marketing, training,    NP: Even people who owned a
      the web and more. We can use the size of our business to leverage all this.”              Swift Continental/Elegance are not
          Ben says: “I have a genuine passion for the industry and the opportunity to be        necessarily going to be attracted to an
      involved in this exciting venture was one I couldn’t pass up. It’s interesting talking    Airstream. But there are also people
      to the dealers because having the weight of Swift behind it gives them massive            who come to the shows, especially, and
      confidence in what we’re trying to do.                                                    ask: what is the best/most expensive
          “Dealers have said: ‘Because it’s you guys, everything being well, we’re              caravan you sell? They have the
      interested in getting behind it.’                                                         disposable income and want to know
          “We will be selling the International range. Initially, there are three models –      what they can get for their money.
      Yukon, Missouri and Colorado – with UK-friendly layouts – and they will be badged             The thing is, it is going to get a
      accordingly (i.e. Airstream, distributed by Swift).”                                      lot of exposure at both NEC Shows,
          Ben is 32 years old, married with one daughter (two by the time you read this).       Scotland, Manchester and then the
      He enjoys most sports, is a keen runner and cyclist, and describe himself as a general    Autosport Show, Festival of Speed
      outdoor enthusiast.                                                                       at Goodwood, the Game Fair and
                                                                                                Countryfile to name just a few.

12     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
about Thor
                                          Thor was founded in 1980, with the purchase or Airstream, and its HQ is in Elkhart,
                                          Indiana. It describes itself as a ‘family of subsidiaries that together make up one of
                                          the world’s largest RV manufacturers’. It owns a host of brands across the US RV
                                          market and in 2014, the business was ranked 636 on the Fortune 1000 (17th among
                                          motor vehicles and parts companies).
                                              Thor Motor Coach (TMC) is the prime motorhome brand in North America, and
                                          produces nearly one out of every four motorhomes sold each year. TMC’s diverse
                                          product line-up includes many of the world’s most recognized Class A and Class C
                                          motorhomes - and they have recently been on the acquisition trail.
                                              Recently posted results for Thor Industries showed a record Q1 and Q2. Its
                                          second quarter (31 January 2017) net income was $64.8 million, on record revenues
                                          of $1.59 billion. Gross profit increased 42.3% to $211.7 million. The company stated it
                                          benefited in revenues and gross profit through the acquisition of Jayco.
                                              “We experienced a positive start to the spring retail show season around the
                                          country,” said Bob Martin, Thor President and CEO. “Growing demand from new
                                          consumers broadening our market has continued, with younger families increasingly
                                          buying more affordably priced travel trailers and smaller motorhomes. These
                                          positive trends give us confidence that Thor and the industry will outpace volumes
                                          achieved in 2016, which was the best year for wholesale RV shipments since the
                                          1970s.”

Is this the start of bigger things       NP: I think it’s probably too early to            Airstream themselves do some
with Thor Industries (owner of           say. There are a lot of synergies.            very interesting other products.
Airstream)?                              We haven’t spoken to anybody                  There’s the Basecamp (same name
JT: Our arrangement is purely with       within the Thor organisation beyond           and concept, but a different vehicle
the directors of Airstream. We haven’t   Airstream, at this stage. The US is the       to Swift’s own). Again, it’s very iconic,
spoken to anybody else in the Thor       biggest leisure vehicle market outside        we’ve already talked to them about
organisation. First and foremost,        of the UK. We’ve no intention of setting      that product coming to the UK within
we’ve got to get up and running with     up inside America, but the partnership        the next 12 months.
Airstream in the UK.                     we now have could be a springboard.               They do a Mercedes van
                                                                                       conversion, too. It’s a stunning bit
                                                                Thetford toilets       of kit.
                                                                and Dometic
                                                                                           But, are we going to sell out to
                                                                cookers and
                                                                fridges will           Thor? Genuinely, that’s not been
                                                                be sent out to         discussed, but that speculation will be
                                                                the States for         exacerbated by Hymer buying Elddis,
                                                                UK models.             Trigano’s holding stake in
                                                                They will also         Auto-Sleepers etc.
                                                                have Duvalay               As market leader, we continue
                                                                mattresses,            to do what we do best and focus
                                                                Alde heating           on that and try not to look over our
                                                                and Sargent            shoulder too much at the competition.
                                                                electrics              That’s how we will continue to focus
                                                                                       and operate.

                                                                                                       THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017     13
14   THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
exhibitions update

Showcasing the industry
NCC Events CEO John Lally explains why shows are not just about sales and
reveals plans to create the country’s largest indoor display of holiday homes
The two NEC shows are the UK’s              shortlist of vehicles to compare and          within the NEC complex, direct access
largest and most prestigious leisure        contrast. Attendees are usually highly        via dedicated entrance and a VIP
vehicle sales events, attracting            receptive, actively wanting to find           lounge for parks’ representatives.
almost 200,000 consumers and                out about products and services.                  Is the current format of parks
500+ exhibitors. The October event          So those exhibitors who vigilantly            exhibiting on manufacturer stands
(Motorhome & Caravan Show) aims             track show sales need to bear in              with ‘pop-up’ displays really appealing
to showcase the full spectrum of            mind customers will be at different           and informative for consumers?
new models in production, so it is          stages of the buying process, perhaps         NCCE thinks not – and a much better,
principally aimed at those already          researching prior to heading to their         more interactive experience could
engaged with leisure vehicles, looking      local dealership.                             be created. The focus could be on
for their next purchase.                                                                  geographic opportunity (i.e. where
     The February show (Caravan,            INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE                        do you want to buy) before product
Camping & Motorhome Show) is,               NCC Events (NCCE) has undertaken              opportunity (i.e. what do you want to
by contrast, a broader proposition,         a fundamental review of its February          buy). NCCE needs to ensure there’s
reaching out to a wider community           show. This has resulted in a new              better signposting for consumers to
including campers. The objective            floor plan layout for the 2018 show.          NCC member holiday parks (and to sell
is to bring new blood to this show          By far the most radical part of the           the benefits of buying from Approved
and entice – dare I say seduce – the        review relates to the caravan holiday         members) as an integral part of the
consumer to make that step from             home/ lodge display in Hall 4. A new          consumers’ journey.
canvass to leisure vehicle.                 park-orientated layout will showcase              Clearly, those inspired by caravan
     The marketing team works               the largest indoor display of holiday         holiday home/lodge products often
extremely hard to target with laser         homes/lodges in the country, as               do not understand the buying process
precision those that are either core        a backdrop to high quality family             (geographical area first, then type of
buyers, or those looking to explore         entertainment.                                park, finally unit). NCCE needs to work
the potential benefits a leisure vehicle        Following research, it was clear that     with its exhibitor base to guide them
and what it can offer them and their        a large number of park operators and          through that journey.
families.                                   owners visited the show to meet up                The NCC would welcome any
     Whilst the primary purpose of these    with manufacturers and distributors.          suggestions as to how we can better
consumer shows is to bring retailers        We will look to provide dedicated             promote our members at the
and buyers together, sadly many             facilities for trade visitors – VIP parking   NEC shows.
exhibitors remain fixated on sales.
Consumers, in contrast, are at the show      contract for the future
to benefit from being able to view a rich
and diverse product mix, and receive         The NEC Group was, as many members will
expert advice. So, the benefit for           know, sold by Birmingham City Council in
exhibitors cannot be measured just by        2015 to LDC, in a £307m deal. LDC, which
product sales, but also by the enhanced      is the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking
product and brand awareness that the         Group, bought the businesses in a deal involving
show delivers – not just the scores on       the long-term 125-year lease of the NEC site.
the doors.                                       NCC Events, the wholly owned subsidiary of the NCC which organises the
     Of course manufacturers want            two shows on behalf of the industry, entered into new contract negotiations
to showcase new models. But we               with the NEC for both of its Birmingham shows some 18 months ago. John
must not lose sight of the fact that         Lally takes up the story: “Like any negotiation process, some you win and
the shows give buyers a unique               some you lose. Contracts were finally signed in mid May 2017 - these are in
opportunity to compare different             effect 5-year rolling contracts, which provide NCC Events with long-term
brands and models side by side, and          certainty. This probably results in more beneficial terms than those of a
be inspired by creative and innovative       shorter term contract.
solutions.                                       NCC Events will be writing to all exhibitors outlining future arrangements.
     Consumers often come with a

                                                                                                        THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017    15
exhibition update

     The Lawns and
     Beaulieu Trade Shows
     One of the biggest gatherings of the                                                    “The Chairman of the East Riding
     caravan trade in the UK will take place
                                                 trade support                           Council and the Lord Mayor of
     at the annual HERCMA caravan show           Parks and dealers are welcome to        Kingston upon Hull officially open
     at The Lawns, near Cottingham in            request promotional material for        this show and there may be other VIP
     East Yorkshire, from Tuesday 5th to         the public shows and can arrange        guests in attendance, along with more
     Thursday 7th September. This will be        for coaches for customers and           than 20,000 members of the public.”
     the 42nd event at the venue, making         potential customers to attend. If           Following on from The Lawns
     it the longest running caravan show at      your company would like a stand at      Trade Show is HERCMA’s Southern
     the same location in the country.           either of the trade or public shows     Trade Show which takes place
          Run by the Hull and East Riding        or wishes to book a coach entrance      at Beaulieu in the New Forest
     of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’         ticket or half-price entry tickets,     in Hampshire on Thursday 21st
     Association (HERCMA), it allows             please contact the organising           September. Many of the same
     member companies and other invited          agent by emailing michael@              holiday homes, lodges and park
     manufacturers to display their new          teamworkprofessionals.co.uk.            homes featured at The Lawns will
     season’s – 2018 – models to park                                                    be on display with manufacturers
     owners, dealers and distributors from                                               confirmed to date being ABI,
     across the UK and to international             People wishing to attend             Carnaby, Swift and Willerby, along
     visitors from numerous countries           will be able to register on www.         with Atlas, Delta, Omar with Wessex,
     across Europe and Scandinavia.             hercmatradeshows.com from late           Pathfinder, Pemberton, Prestige and
          There will be more than 150           June onwards and will be able to         Homeseeker, Regal, Stately, Tingdene
     holiday homes, lodges and park             collect their badges quickly at the      and Victory.
     homes and over 130 touring caravans        registration desks in The Lawns              “After the trade day,” Michael
     on display, alongside many supplies        Centre on arrival. Invitations with a    continues, “there are three days when
     and service stands and, as always, the     registration form will be sent in July   the public are invited to see the new
     trade associations including, of course,   to all parks, dealers and distributors   models and meet representatives
     the NCC.                                   which are NCC members.                   from parks, dealers and distributors.
          Manufacturers at The Lawns                Michael Ritchie, from organisers     HERCMA looks forward to seeing you
     include the five HERCMA members            Teamwork Professionals, commented:       this September.”
     – ABI, Carnaby, Coachman, Swift            “As the trade show is preceded by            Once again trade visitors can
     and Willerby – with Atlas, Cambrian,       The Caravan Extravaganza weekend         register on www.hercmatradeshows.
     Elddis, Lunar, Oakgrove, Pathfinder,       (2nd and 3rd September), we give the     com and collect badges on arrival. No
     Pemberton, Prestige and Homeseeker,        public their first opportunity to see    public are permitted at either show on
     Regal, Tingdene and Wessex there as        the 2018 models, too. Many parks and     trade-only days. Parks, dealers and
     invitees. The show will be open from       dealers take part and there is always    distributors are entitled to the lunch
     10am until 5pm on the Tuesday and          a fun and friendly atmosphere with       provided by HERCMA. For details
     Wednesday and from 10am until 4pm          entertainment for both adults and        regarding the public events, see
     on Thursday.                               children.                                www.lawnsandbeaulieushows.com.

16     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
The Motorhome
  and Caravan Show
The Motorhome and Caravan Show takes place from 17-22 October 2017. The
Business talks to Jenny Summers, group marketing director, about what’s in store.
After the record breaking Caravan,        2015 (37% v 32%) and fewer visitors       themed feature and seating areas.
Camping and Motorhome Show in             who had also visited the Caravan,             The Caravan and Motorhome
February, planning started for The        Camping and Motorhome Show at the         Club will present its ever popular
Motorhome and Caravan Show at             NEC in February 2016, meaning more        Motorhome Manoeuvring along with
the NEC in October. An integrated         of the visitors were new to NCC Events    hosting their Club day on the Tuesday.
marketing campaign, including TV,         (NCCE) shows. In actual terms the         Visitors will also be able to benefit
radio, outdoor, digital and traditional   number of new visitors rose by more       from expert tuition from The Camping
print will be deployed to reach our       than 6,000.                               and Caravanning Club’s team of
targeted audiences. This will include a       NCCE recently welcomed a new          highly qualified instructors providing
refresh of the show website alongside     addition to the team. Matt Thornett       their Towing Experience. Warners,
new creatives for our print, online and   joined as campaign director in            the publishers of MMM, Caravan and
email campaigns. Tickets are already      November and will be meeting with         Outandaboutlive.co.uk, will present
available from just £8.50 - for all the   the manufacturers across the summer       a Warners’ Wednesday in the LIVE
latest news and updates please visit      to discuss their show plans. In support   Theatre and the Woodland Trust will
www.mcshow.co.uk.                         of The Motorhome and Caravan Show         host its own feature area.
    Consumer feedback is critical to      market position as the national leisure       In the build-up to the show, we will
understanding the visitor experience      vehicle launch show, and to provide a     be contacting all exhibitors to engage
and following each show, a full           platform to showcase new-for-2018         with them in support of targeting their
360° review is undertaken. It was         models, product launches will be          own individual databases. This will
reassuring to see that over 91%           hosted in the LIVE Theatre daily.         include the provision of digital assets,
of respondents from last year’s           Along with a variety of theatre content   media codes and images for use across
Motorhome and Caravan Show rated          to keep visitors entertained, the show    their own campaigns. These codes
their overall experience as ‘good’ or     will continue to have a number of         allow exhibitors to invite customers
‘excellent’. In the current uncertain                                               and potential customers to the show
economic environment, ticket prices                                                 at a lower ticket price and set up
are a key consideration and 83%
                                           share your plans                         appointments if feasible. From June,
of visitors rated ‘value for money’        To contact the NCC Events                we will be sharing details of the many
as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and       marketing team with information          marketing opportunities exhibitors
the show’s Net Promoter Scores             about your plans for The                 have available to showcase their
were significantly above exhibition        Motorhome and Caravan Show               product and brands to the NCC Events
benchmark levels.                          2017 please email matt.thornett          databases. These will include social
    The last October show attracted        @nccevents.co.uk.                        media mentions, email inclusion and
significantly more new visitors than                                                competition sponsorship.

                                                                                                   THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017    17
exhibition support

     The Holiday Park &
     Resort Innovation Show
     The Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show will be back at the NEC Birmingham
     on 8th and 9th November and will once again be supported by the NCC.
     “This event is an excellent opportunity
     for anyone looking to expand their
     holiday park or leisure business,”
     event director Will Mansfield explains.
     “A one of a kind, one stop shop for
     everything you could ever need to
     make the most of your property,
     estate, or holiday park...
         “The Holiday Park & Resort
     Innovation Show delivers first-hand
     the very best in advice, products,
     and services. Visitors can soak up
     the knowledge and experience from
     top experts and some of the most
     innovative suppliers in the sector.”
         NCC’s Frank Finch said: “For
     NCC, the Show provides a valuable
     opportunity to engage with current
     and prospective members across
     the holiday park sector and we are         Family Attraction Expo, the Country       you are interested in being involved in
     therefore pleased to extend our            House Business Innovation Show and        this year’s event it is not too late, feel
     support for 2017.”                         the Farm Business Innovation Show,        free to get in touch with me directly.”
         The event has grown considerably       which took home ‘Best Trade Show of           Tickets to the Holiday Park &
     since 2016 and is set to be the most       the Year’ at the 2016 UK’s EN Awards.     Resort Innovation Show and the
     comprehensive instalment yet.                 Will concluded: “This show brings      seminars are free and you can register
     Will continues: “We are proud of           opportunities to the forefront that       to attend via www.holidayparkshow.
     the calibre of expert speakers and         may have otherwise passed you by. If      co.uk.
     seminars. Top experts in the field,
     including the NCC team, will be on          find out more
     hand giving free, face-to-face advice
     for growing holiday parks/resorts or        NCC members are eligible for exclusive offers when they book to exhibit. For
     leisure businesses. With an impressive      more information and to see what exhibiting at the Holiday Park & Resort
     150 strong seminar schedule and over        Innovation Show can do for you, contact event director Will Mansfield – see
     300 specialists exhibiting at the event,    below for details.
     these two days are truly unmissable
     for anyone in this sector.”                 SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITING OPPORTUNITIES
         Frank Finch echoed these                Will Mansfield - event director william.mansfield@prysmgroup.co.uk
     sentiments: “NCC provides extensive
     business support to members, so the         MARKETING & PRESS ENQUIRIES
     opportunity to promote these benefits       Emma Webber - marketing executive emma.webber@prysmgroup.co.uk
     to a wider audience is welcome. We          www.holidayparkshow.co.uk
     invite all holiday parks and industry
     businesses to visit us on Stand 2672        NCC MEMBER ENQUIRIES
     Hall 10.”                                   Frank Finch – NCC Membership Services Director Frank.f@thencc.org.uk
         The show will run alongside the

18     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
touring into the future

Driving ahead
The Business looks at some new motoring developments – from lighter,
driverless cars to the new Yescapa ‘peer to peer’ rental option – and how they
might impact the tourer and motorhome marketplace.
                                                                                             London’s Mayor is to double
                                                                                         funding spent tackling air quality
                                                                                         over the next five years. He is also
                                                                                         consulting on bringing forward the
                                                                                         start date of the central ULEZ from
                                                                                         2020 to 2019 and expanding it up to
                                                                                         the North/South Circular roads. While
                                                                                         many might uphold that motorhomes
                                                                                         are rarely driven into central London,
                                                                                         there are factors to consider. First,
                                                                                         where London leads, others follow.
                                                                                         And what of the currently vibrant
                                                                                         campervan sector? Often bought as
                                                                                         a multi-purpose second (or even sole)
                                                                                         vehicle, they may look much
                                                                                         less attractive – particularly to the
                                                                                         affluent suburban Southerners – if
                                                                                         there are limits on where the vehicles
                                                                                         can go.
                                                                                             As the RAC says: “As inner-city
                                                                                         pollution worsens, Low Emission
                                                                                         Zones may become a key tool
                                                                                         in helping authorities to control
                                                                                         emissions … They are predicted to
                                                                                         become much more commonplace
Driverless cars are becoming a reality. Self-driving cars, vans and lorries are widely   than today.”
expected to be a common sight on Britain’s roads within a decade
                                                                                         DAMNING DIESEL
In contrast to the market for tourers,       aimed at the oldest, ‘most polluting        The fact that diesel engines can be
which in recent years has remained           vehicles’ on London roads. This ‘T          more polluting than petrol ones
stable, the UK motorhome market              Charge’ applies mainly to diesel and        has been known for several years,
continues to boom. New vehicle               petrol vehicles registered before           but recent research has shown that
registrations in March 2017 were up          2006 and will come into force on 23         nanoparticles created by fumes
by 22% on 2016, bringing the Q1 total        October 2017. It will operate on top        from diesel exhausts affect the
to its highest-ever level at 3,670 units.    of (and during the same times as) the       cardiovascular system, causing strokes
But how will the motorhome industry          Congestion Charge, so it will cost          and heart disease. This research,
cope with the growing ‘anti-diesel’          such vehicles £21.50 to drive in the        widely covered in the Nationals
lobby, the increase in Low Emission          zone. It is estimated that more than        in April 2017, will fuel the already
Zones (LEZs) and the introduction of         half of all motorhomes on the road          vocal anti-diesel lobby. Pollution is
Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZs) in          are pre-2006. London’s Low Emission         appearing in election debates and
the UK and in Europe?                        Zone, which covers virtually the whole      Labour has vowed to bring in a new
                                             of London boroughs, already levies          Clean Air Act, including a network of
ZONED OUT?                                   a £100 entry charge for certain older       “clean air zones” - if it is elected.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,             motorhomes (£200 if over 3.5 tonnes             Almost half the vehicles that roll
has launched a £10 toxicity ‘T-Charge’       gross vehicle weight).                      off British lines are diesel, and their

                                                                                                       THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017    19
PHOTOS COURTESY OF VOLVO
                                          touring into the future

                                                                                                                          Above: Volvo’s S90 comes with Pilot
                                                                                                                          Assist, which maintains a set speed or
                                                                                                                          safe distance from the car in front, and
                                                                                                                          a ‘personal valet parking system’ Park
                                                                                                                          Assist
                                                                                                                          Left: Volvo S90 with ‘concierge
                                                                                                                          services’

                                continued production is “essential           vehicles (AFVs)? As the NCC’s David          make such vehicles more attractive,
                                for future growth and employment”,           Whitehead reported (The Business,            especially for fleets/company cars.
                                according to Mike Hawes, boss of the         Spring 2017 p48), so far no electric         There is a growing dilemma for
                                Society of Motor Manufacturers and           car has been designated suitable for         the industry – and the caravanner/
                                Traders. A petrol-engined motorhome          towing caravans, while hybrids have          motorhomer.
                                is a rare thing, with Marquis, the           their own challenges as tow vehicles.            The Caravan and Motorhome
                                largest UK dealer network, confirming            In April 2020, new lower tax bands       Club sums up: “The issues affecting
                                that practically all the vehicles on         are planned to come into force for           vehicle choice today are complex,
                                their forecourts are based on diesel         low-emitting and zero-emission               involving decisions over technology,
                                engines. Not only that, diesels are          vehicles. The introduction of tax            performance, efficiency, environmental
                                the more popular choice as towcars.          incentives, based on the range a car         impact and tax implications. This
                                And what of the alternatively fuelled-       can travel in electric mode, is likely to    applies to those choosing towcars and

                                 Yescapa launches in UK motorhome market
                                 Much has been written about Airbnb’s effect on the                 service. Every user’s ID and driving licences are checked as
                                 hotel and guest house industry. At the end of last year,           … trust is the major aspect of a peer-to-peer interaction.”
                                 a Morgan Stanley survey found that peer-to-peer travel                 While Yescapa is an obvious threat to motorhome
                                 startup Airbnb Inc. continues to grow. So, as peer-to-peer         hire companies, what about the opportunities it creates?
                                 motorhome rental company, Yescapa, launches in the UK,             Speaking at last year’s conference, The Caravan &
                                 should the industry be afraid, or welcome it?                      Motorhome Club’s Harvey Alexander pointed out that
                                     In its launch press release, Yescapa says it offers vehicle    “today is not about owning stuff but access to stuff – new
                                 owners “an amazing opportunity to make money from                  audiences want to access the great lifestyle but that may
                                 their prized asset … when the majority of motorhomes               not be via buying a caravan or motorhome.”
                                 and campervans remain idle for an average of 45 weeks                  Morgan Stanley’s AlphaWise survey on Airbnb shows
                                 per year.” Utilising Yescapa’s ‘peer-to-peer’ rental option,       rising adoption levels (now 18 percent of travellers), with
                                 owners list their motorhomes on the website, choose their          half its users being younger or ‘millennials’. This is surely
                                 own rental rates and – potentially - start earning from            the market most likely to be attracted to the peer-to-peer
                                 them immediately.                                                  motorhome rental option. The opportunity of making
                                     Yescapa claims it is the leading private motorhome hire        what could be several thousand pounds annually from
                                 organisation in Europe, where it has an existing model of          a vehicle may, however, be attractive to a wide range of
                                 more than 3,000 vehicles in France, Germany and Spain. It          owners.
                                 also says that on average, a week of rental brings in £500             A lot of questions about Yescapa remain unanswered.
                                 to the hirer and that it has already paid out more than            We don’t know how the vehicle’s existing insurers or
                                 €10m to motorhome vehicle owners who have joined their             finance companies (if applicable) will react. Hirers’ driving
                                 scheme.                                                            licences will need to be scrutinised, novice motorhomers
                                     Its new insurance partner in the UK is Allianz. All            may need a lot of instruction, money earned from renting
                                 rentals are insured by Allianz and 24/7 roadside assistance        out a vehicle is income and could be subject to tax - the list
                                 is provided. “From a renter’s perspective,” Yescapa says,          goes on.
                                 “(our) website allows you to cut costs … and the rates are             But Airbnb is no longer niche – it now has 3,000,000
                                 highly competitive due to the peer-to-peer aspect of the           lodging listings in 65,000 cities …

20                                THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
motorhomes as it does to any other                                                       new Volvo S90 R-Design, which is
vehicle buyer, with certain specific                                                     made in Daqing, in the north east of
factors (e.g. availability of hybrid                                                     the People’s Republic, is, like many
towcars with adequate towing limits;                                                     modern Volvos and other ‘premium’
availability of non-diesel motorhomes)                                                   marques, edging steadily closer to the
limiting buyer flexibility somewhat at                                                   ideal of the driverless car.
present. However, this is a constantly                                                        So where is this all heading?
evolving situation ...”                                                                  UK Autodrive is the largest of
                                                                                         three separate consortia that are
DRIVING OUT DRIVER ERROR                                                                 currently trialling automated vehicle
While the widespread use of AFVs                                                         technology as part of the government-
as towcars still seems a way off, how                                                    backed competition to support the
difficult will it prove to develop a        Mitsubishi Outlander with internal           introduction of self-driving vehicles
driverless tow vehicle?                     combustion engine and twin electric          into the UK. Their 3-year project will
    All of a sudden, driverless cars        motors                                       run until October 2018 and partners
are becoming a reality. In just two                                                      include Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.
years’ time, a consortium of British        technology. In February, eight new           UK Autodrive project director, Tim
companies has plans to test driverless      projects were awarded £20 million            Armitage, previews the year ahead, as
cars on UK roads and motorways.             in funding to research and develop           connected and autonomous vehicles
Self-driving cars, vans and lorries         enhanced communication between               get ready to move onto UK roads.
are now widely expected to be a             vehicles and roadside infrastructure or           “How soon we’ll arrive at that
common sight on Britain’s roads             urban information systems, including         reality is perhaps the most common
within a decade. Some mainstream            new ‘talking car technologies’.              question being asked about driverless
manufacturers claim they will                   Business Secretary Sajid Javid said:     cars” Tim said on the website
be unveiling their own range of             “The funding will help strengthen the        www.ukautodrive.com. “But the
‘autonomous’ vehicles as soon as            UK as a global centre for the fast-          responses vary greatly depending
2020. In addition, more and more            growing intelligent mobility market,         upon whom you ask. Some argue
of these machines will be entirely          estimated to be worth £900 billion per       that the technology will only be
electrically powered, as the need to        year globally by 2025.                       viable when autonomous vehicles can
cut both the cost of motoring and               “Our cars of the future will be          operate in all conditions and without
carbon emissions becomes imperative.        equipped with the technologies that          any need for humans to take over the
    The Driven Group (led by                will make getting from A to B safer,         driving, while others believe in a more
Oxbotica, which makes software for          faster, and cleaner. They will alert         incremental progression in which the
driverless vehicles) plans to try out a     drivers of accidents ahead and be            vehicles may initially only be capable
fleet of autonomous vehicles between        able to receive information from             of autonomous driving in certain
London and Oxford. The cars will            their surroundings about hazards,            environments – for example, when
communicate with each other about           increasing the safety of drivers,            travelling along certain pre-mapped
any hazards and should operate with         passengers and pedestrians.                  motorways.”
almost full autonomy - but will have a          “Britain is a world-leader in research        “The UK Autodrive project is
human on board as well.                     and development in such innovative           not making any assumptions or
    Trials to test driverless cars on the   technologies which improve lives ...”        predictions about the long-term
streets are currently also being worked         However, some critics say that           development of the technology …
on in Bristol, Coventry and Milton          the UK risks falling behind what is          it’s difficult to be certain how quickly
Keynes, and Greenwich. Autonomous           being achieved abroad. In the US,            we’ll see fully autonomous vehicles
vehicles are already being used in          there is Waymo, an autonomous car            on UK roads, capable of dealing with
Heathrow to shuttle passengers,             development company spun out of              all scenarios. Connected car features
although these are currently on             Google’s parent, Alphabet Inc. It has        seem likely to proliferate in the coming
designated tracks.                          been working on driverless technology        years – potentially bringing significant
    The UK government has                   since 2009 and has already launched          benefits in terms of traffic information
committed around £100m in total             a public trial of its self-driving cars in   and flow, accident reduction and
towards autonomous driving projects         Phoenix, Arizona.                            environmental improvements, even
and has said it wants Britain to                Volvo, with its Chinese owners, is       while we humans remain behind the
“lead the way in developing” the            also developing the technology. The          wheel.”

“
                                                                                              So, humans still behind the wheel?
                 In just two years, a consortium of British                              There are futurists who predict that
                 companies has plans to test driverless                                  before the end of this century, the only
                                                                                         cars driven by people will be those on
                 cars on UK roads and motorways                                          race tracks.

                                                                                                        THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017    21
motoring of the future
     Paul Pleskzo with wife Kim,
     whom he describes as ‘a great
     ambassador for Omar’

22     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017
Passing on
the passion for
park homes
As Paul Pleszko steps down as Chairman of Omar Park Homes Limited,
The Business reflects on the career, continued enthusiasm and dedication of a
man who has been immersed in the park home industry for 40 years
While there have been some lows as              “In the early days, after everyone    modular buildings and owned and
well as many highs in that time, Omar       clocked off, my Dad and I sometimes       operated parks as well.
retains its place as a leading light in     went into the factory to carry on and         “Through the expansion in the
park home manufacture. The company          keep up with production schedules.        1980s, Dad was in the background and
was founded by Paul’s father David          It was hard but we worked really well     over the years we have had fantastic
in 1965, for the purpose of building        together. I’ve always been quite ‘hands   support staff. In 1987, I bought out my
timber framed buildings and mobile          on’ and enjoyed the building side.        father’s business partner, Geoff Brown,
homes - its name makes reference to             “In 1983, the new Mobile Homes        when he retired and then Dad retired
his favourite actor, Omar Sharif, star of   Act gave owners increased security        in 1989.
the film Dr Zhivago, which was a huge       of tenure, and confidence in the park         “I am really proud of our workforce,
box-office hit at the time.                 home lifestyle rocketed. Park homes       which I believe is strong in all areas. I
     Paul’s first experience of the         became a highly desirable lifestyle       can’t sing their praises highly enough.
business was as a youngster, tidying up     option and of course, the designs         There are workers here now who are
the factory on Saturday mornings. The       became more and more sophisticated        the grandsons of staff who worked
first park home models built were 10-       as a result.                              for us in the 1970s – I think that really
foot wide single units, and production          “I like to think that Omar has        shows that we are a good company to
moved from Bedfordshire to a facility       stayed ahead of the game, not just        work for.
in Diss in 1971. He clearly remembers       in terms of design, but also on build         “There have been several key
travelling with his father to view the      quality. We have been at the forefront    people who have made a massive
potential new factory site in Brandon,      of several pioneering developments        difference to the business and whose
now Omar’s headquarters, which              within the industry over the years.       commitment and expertise I really
opened back in 1975.                        In 1967, we introduced cavity wall        value. I can’t mention all of them here
     “I started as an apprentice learning   insulation, for example; in 1982, we      but John Hobday Pepper, our technical
all the trades, then came on board          introduced lightweight steel-tiled        director, has been a key figure in the
properly in 1977, aged 20,” Paul            roofs, and our first model with a roof    industry for 40 years. He is widely
explains. “I worked my way through          terrace appeared in 1991. We have         recognised for his technical knowledge
the factory, then worked in costings        always been forward-looking. We had       and expertise and of course he is a
and accounts for 18 months. In 1984,        a manufacturing facility in Poland        great supporter of the industry and of
I qualified as an accountant.               (my father’s birthplace), moved into      the NCC. Another unsung hero is Roy

“
                 In the early days, after everyone clocked off, my Dad and I
                 sometimes went into the factory to carry on and keep up with
                 production schedules. It was hard but we worked really well.
                                                                                                     THE BUSINESS SUMMER 2017     23
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