RVBusiness, January/February 2021

TOPof theNews recovery Its a story Ive shared with many people Winnebagos Happe for his part said hes been particularly impressed with the industrys ability to face up to a whole new kind of adversity beyond the cyclical issues the industry has traditionally experienced This was a whole different type of adversity that Bob just described that presented itself last spring and continued throughout the summer said Happe But I think all the investments that all of the stakeholders in the RV industry have made in the last 20 years really positioned the RV industry to be in the right place at the right time for the V shaped recovery that happened as consumers flocked to the outdoors in the summer of 2020 Its been a weird year of adversity and optimism he continued For me it emboldens the belief that the recreational vehicle industry just continues to grow in popularity and will continue to do so in the years to come and I think well certainly continue to navigate any other curve balls that are thrown at us here in the years to come But it sure is a year to remember for sure Added Forest Rivers Liegl Theres some real positives that are coming out of this such as new people consumers getting into the RV industry And I totally agree were going to retain a whole lot of them Thats going to take us some time to fill these dealers inventories back up again This is going to carry on next year certainly Other likely 2020 newsmakers candidates include Camping World Keeps The Aggressive Beat Camping World Holdings Inc CWHI billing itself as the nations nations largest network of RV and outdoor stores with some 160 CW and Ganderrelated SuperCenters stepped up in late 2020 with the purchase of Paul Sherry RV in Piqua Ohio as well as All RV Needs in Medford Ore plus Noble RVs four Minnesota stores as well an Outlet Recreation facility in Fargo N D As part of a renewed growth initiative the publicly held Lincolnshire Ill based dealer also opened new outlets in Texas Nebraska and Louisiana as it 20 RVBusiness J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 prepared to roll out a new RV consumer print magazine title replacing the venerable Trailer Life and MotorHome brand At the same time despite the pandemic disruptions CWHI has continued to serve as one of the industrys most aggressive marketeers its sponsorship of the 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational NCAA basketball tournament which ultimately played out in North Carolina due to the pandemic having been one of its most recent forays The Evolving Role of RV Retailer LLC Although dealers like Lazydays Holdings Inc Campers Inn RV and Blue Dog RV are also playing an acquisitive role right now Ft Lauderdale Fla based RV Retailer LLC continues to establish itself as a bonafide force in the U S retail universe Its most recent additions North Carolina dealerships Golden Gait Trailers RVs in the Charlotte market and Camptown RV in the Raleigh zone With these acquisitions its 12th and 13th this year after only two years in the RV business RV Retailer LLC now has five stores in the Carolinas and overall 38 RV outlets in Arizona Colorado Florida Iowa Missouri New York North Carolina South Carolina Texas and Utah Regional store brands overseen by the company launched in early 2019 by President and CEO Jon Ferrando and Executive Vice President John Rizzo both former AutoNation execs include RV One Superstores Motor Home Specialist ExploreUSA Sonnys Camp N Travel Cousins RV Camper Clinic Lifestyle RVs Sierra RV and Toms Camperland The Charitable Hand of Lippert Components Inc Publicly held supplier Lippert Components Inc capped off a growth year with the acquisition of Challenger Door LLC Nappanee Ind a leading manufacturer and distributor of branded doors for the RV specialty and cargo trailer niches Also making headlines in 2020 Mishawaka Ind based Lippert which posted its biggest revenue months ever in June and July again set itself apart as a charity minded concern by sponsoring another Bids for Kids auction for the Goshen Boys Girls Club that despite a reduced crowd due to pandemic concerns garnered an impressive 15 million Newsmakers from page 6