Derbyshire caravan company signs £540,000 Kiwi deal
Glossop Caravans, a family run company, has returned from a trip to New Zealand with orders worth £540,000.
During the visit, partly funded by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the company sold 18 new caravans and 18 used caravans.
The £540,000 order came from Caravan Planet in Christchurch, which is the official agency for renowned firm Coachman Caravans, and means Glossop Caravans’ products will be on sale throughout the whole of New Zealand.
The relationship with Caravan Planet has also allowed the company to break into the Chinese market and recently a South Korean contract resulted in over £1,500,000 in retail orders.
Lee Sivins, export manager, Glossop Caravans, said: “The order from New Zealand is a result of lots of hard work from both ourselves and the customer, and the visit will grow both businesses. The support we’ve received from our DIT International Trade Adviser, Kathryn Borg, has also been very helpful.
“The more we sell, the more we can pay our staff. We are still very much a family run business that employs nearly 160 staff, so sales are paramount. We retail over 2800 units a year and 15% of those sales are now exported.
“Our plan for 2017 is to keep working harder and try and break into other markets. A key target for us is India. Obviously its size appeals, but it is also a young, developing market with new innovations coming out all the time, which is very exciting.”
Ian Harrison, DIT’s acting regional director for the Midlands, said: “We’re very happy to have played a role in helping Lee and his team secure the New Zealand deal – the sales the company has recently experienced are phenomenal, and very well deserved. I would urge other businesses seeking new markets and wishing to expand in existing territories to exploit the tailored advice and support available from Exporting is GREAT and the Department for International Trade.”
