Wyatts Covert in Denham does it for me.

13 Sunday Aug 2017

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#motorhomes, airfield, camc, caravan and motorhome club, Christopher Macgowan, Denham, hardstanding, Houghton Mill, hymer, lake district, motorhome, motorhomenews, motorhomes, pitch, road safety, wyatts covert

Simples really. Open all year. Fifty hardstanding pitches. An oasis north west of London and within the M25. Immaculately maintained by wardens Marie and Paul. Bus actually comes into the site for local travel. Small private airfield adjacent if you like something to watch.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

British industry proving irresistible to German and French giants.

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Marketing

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AutoSleeper, christopher magowan, erwin hymer, Explorer Group, hymer, john rawlings, macgowan, marquis leisure, motorhomenews, rawlings communications, Trigano

Written by John Rawlings of Rawlings Communications Ltd.

Rawlings Communications

The strong market for caravans and motorhomes in the UK is obviously on the radar of the big French and German manufacturing groups, with news of two interesting acquisitions already announced this year. Will there be more?

The big news last week was that Europe’s largest manufacturer of caravans and motorhomes, the mighty Erwin Hymer Group, which last year had a turnover of more than 1.9 billion Euros, bought the UK’s Explorer Group Ltd, which owns and manufactures the well known Buccaneer, Elddis and Compass brands here.

This follows last month’s news that the French Trigano Group (another multiple European caravan and motorhome brand owner, and has already invested in a new factory for its UK subsidiary, Auto-Trail) bought a majority shareholding in the British motorhome brand Auto-Sleepers and its retail network, Marquis Leisure.

Interesting times.

I am sure that becoming part of the Erwin Hymer Group has to be good news for the The Explorer Group and its 400 employees up in the North East, but will we see more British caravan and motorhome brands being snapped up by overseas or global brands?

Although it has well established UK brands, the Explorer Group is far from being a market leader in the UK, having trailed behind the UK’s two biggest caravan and motorhome manufacturers, The Swift Group and Bailey of Bristol (both still privately owned), for many years. The new investment and purchasing power of The Explorer Group’s new parent company will surely work in its favour and give it valuable extra security for the years ahead.

We will have to wait (with much interest) to see if its new German owners implement any changes to product quality, specifications and production. The purchase price has not been disclosed, but the Erwin Hymer Group must have expectations for a reasonable return on investment, and it shows the significance of the UK caravan and motorhome market on a European and global stage. Surely that’s something we should be proud of?

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Erwin Hymer acquires Explorer Group.

10 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Marketing, Motorhomes

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Christopher Macgowan, explorer, hymer, motorhomenews

Erwin Hymer Group acquires The Explorer Group Ltd., one of the leading manufacturers of motorhomes and caravans in the UK.

 The strategic acquisition strengthens the presence of the Erwin Hymer Group in the second largest European market.  The Erwin Hymer Group is placing its trust in the existing management team of The Explorer Group Ltd.  The Explorer Group Ltd. will become the Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd.  Once the integration is complete, the sales and marketing activities of all EHG brands will be brought together under the umbrella of the Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd.  The closing date for the transaction is February 8, 2017.

Bad Waldsee (Germany), Consett, County Durham (UK), February 8, 2017 – The Erwin Hymer Group, Europe’s largest manufacturer of motorhomes and caravans, and the Constantine Group PLC, an investment company with its registered office near London (UK), have agreed that the Erwin Hymer Group will acquire 100% of the shares of The Explorer Group Ltd., including all of its subsidiaries.

After the closing, the name of the company will be Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd. The Managing Director of Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd. will be Robert Quine, formerly the Managing Director of The Explorer Group Ltd.

The Explorer Group – On the UK market since 1964 The Explorer Group is a leading UK manufacturer of motorhomes and caravans with its registered office in Consett, near Newcastle in the north of England. Founded in the mid-1960s, the company has 400 employees and is predominantly active in the UK. With the Buccaneer, Compass, Elddis, and Xplore brands, the company has been able to steadily increase its share of the UK market in recent years. With a motorhome market share of 11% and a touring caravan market share of 17%, The Explorer Group is one of the three leading manufacturers in the UK.

“Since 2012, our SoLiD construction method has revolutionised the production process and resulted in a product that is stronger, lighter, and free from water ingress,” says Rob Quine. “Explorer has now invested over eight years into the development of SoLiD. This makes us the only provider of fully structurally bonded caravans and motorhomes in the UK.” The successful launch of SoLiD has resulted in the sales volumes doubling in the past eight years.

The Explorer Group Ltd’s management has excellent knowledge of the British market and is therefore the perfect partner for the Erwin Hymer Group to further expand its position in the UK. The sales and marketing activities of all EHG brands in the UK will be brought together under the umbrella of the Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd.

The Erwin Hymer Group is already represented in the United Kingdom today by the Bürstner, Carado, Dethleffs, Eriba, Hymer, Laika, Niesmann+Bischoff, and Sunlight brands. The new Erwin Hymer Group UK Ltd. provides an ideal starting point to strengthen and further expand market presence with a local manufacturing base.

“By acquiring The Explorer Group Ltd., we are strengthening our involvement in the UK. As the leading European manufacturer, we see strategic opportunities in the second largest European caravanning market,” says Martin Brandt, CEO of Erwin Hymer Group AG & Co.KG. “Our aim is to further expand our strong position in Europe and to become a global supplier of high-quality motorhomes and caravans.”

For Joerg Reithmeier, Member of the Managing Board of the Erwin Hymer Group and responsible for the Caravan segment, the acquisition of Explorer is another component in implementing the caravan strategy: “By taking this step, we’re positioning ourselves as the leading manufacturer of premium caravans in Europe.”

“We’re all really looking forward to becoming part of the Erwin Hymer Group,” says Rob Quine, Managing Director of The Explorer Group Ltd. “It is fantastic that a successful organisation like the Erwin Hymer Group is investing in our future. As a new member of the Erwin Hymer Group, we will have access to unique know-how and expertise. We will exploit this strategic opportunity to create permanent added value for our customers.”

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Three millionth Sprinter goes to Hymer.

17 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by chrismacgowan in Marketing, Motorhomes

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Christopher Macgowan, hymer, Mercedes-Benz, motorhome, motorhomenews, sprinter

Three millionth Mercedes-Benz Sprinter goes to motorhome manufacturer Hymer

Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans (left) and Benrhard Kibler MD of Hymer (right)

The latest Sprinter goes to Hymer to be turned into an ML-T

Mercedes-Benz Vans has celebrated a milestone with the Sprinter, used for a number of motorhome conversions. Since its market launch in 1995, the division has delivered three million units of its world vehicle to customers with 2015 being the most successful year for Sprinter in its history. In the year of its 20th birthday, sales of the Sprinter rose by 4% to 194,200 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz Vans is expecting further overall growth in demand in 2016.

Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, handed over the three millionth Sprinter to Bernhard Kibler, Managing Director of motorhome manufacturer Hyme. Hymer, a bodybuilder partner to Mercedes-Benz Vans, intends to turn the anniversary vehicle into one of its premium-segment Hymer ML-T motorhomes.

“Three million Sprinters in just 20 years is a sign of great success,” said Volker Mornhinweg. “The Sprinter was the founder of the segment for large vans and remains highly successful to this day – throughout the world. The Sprinter with its six production plants worldwide is a shining example of our growth strategy ‘Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global’. What’s more, for our partners the Sprinter provides the perfect base for a wide and varied range of bodies, from ambulances to luxury motorhomes.”

Mercedes-Benz Vans has developed along highly positive lines in recent years in the growing camper van sector. This year, too, the division’s global sales and market share are continuing to rise in this area. Growth of over 10% was recorded in the German market alone in 2015, amounting to sales of some 28,000 units – and it continues to offer potential. Specialist bodybuilders play a central role in this segment for Mercedes-Benz Vans, covering as they do a wide spectrum of customer demand – for additional variants of campervans, for example.

An important bodybuilder for Mercedes-Benz Vans is the motorhome manufacturer Hymer, based in Bad Waldsee in Baden-Württemberg. The company, which was founded in 1957, is the European market leader in the premium segment.. Hymer is an official ‘VanPartner by Mercedes-Benz’. This means that the company belongs to the exclusive circle of bodybuilders that Mercedes-Benz Vans audits and certifies as meeting its high standards in respect of quality, sales and after-sales. Hymer has relied on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter as the base vehicle for its premium-segment motorhomes since 1995. The collaboration between the two companies goes back more than 40 years now: the first Hymermobil was based on a Mercedes-Benz van.

“Mercedes-Benz Vans is a strategically important partner for us. The vans with the star are acknowledged to be among the safest in their class. The Sprinter, in particular, offers an extensive range of safety equipment, with its various driver assistance systems such as standard-specification Crosswind Assist, which is unique in our sector. Combined with our bodybuilding technology and premium-class equipment and fittings, we can offer the customer a camper van that is uncompromising in its operating safety and living comfort. We are delighted that our longstanding partner is handing over the three millionth Sprinter to us. We offer our sincere congratulations to Mercedes-Benz Vans on this significant anniversary and look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration,” said Bernhard Kibler. “Our customers can look forward to a few surprises this year, too.”

The Hymer ML-T, for which the three millionth Sprinter is to serve as the basic vehicle, is the first partially integrated motorhome to be equipped with the innovative Crosswind Assist system from Mercedes-Benz Vans.

As I own a Sprinter myself…..

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

MOTORHOMENEWS

~ A personal take by Christopher Macgowan on tourism, travel and motorhomes.

Tag Archives: hymer

Wyatts Covert in Denham does it for me.

British industry proving irresistible to German and French giants.

Erwin Hymer acquires Explorer Group.

Three millionth Sprinter goes to Hymer.