RVBusiness, March/April 2019

Richardsons R V Sees Opportunities in Some of the Big Retail Stores Vacated in the Digital Age Richardsons R V Centers transformed a former Kmart in Colton Calif into its newest store As major retailers vacate storefronts in the digital age some RV dealers are seeing opportunities in those cavernous empty facilities That was certainly the case for Richardsons R V Centers Inc a leading California RV retailer and Jayco dealer that was preparing for a grand opening at its expansive new Colton Calif store a former Kmart at press time To be honest with you we werent looking for another location said President Steve Richardson who along with his brother and partner Mark already had stores in Riverside Temecula and Menifee Calif as well as Middlebury Ind But back a year ago I was doing an unrelated transaction with my real estate broker and under his breath he pretty much brought up the fact that he had this building in Colton Then the more I start talking to him he told me about this Kmart that had been vacant for a while One thing led to another and we went and looked at it he recalled I got with Mark and just started talking about it and said Hey you know I think this could be a great opportunity All things considered the vacant 115000 square foot discount store had plenty of room for indoor RV displays which is rather unusual in Southern California said Richardson Making it even more interesting from a marketing standpoint was the fact that it was located in an area known within the industry since the 1980s and 90s as the RV Expo where as many as 13 independent RV dealerships once clustered together and only a handful remain In fact most of it is owned today by one large dealer Mike Thompsons RV Superstore one of Californias top retailing dealers with which Richardsons has begun co marketing the Expo Also located nearby by the way is a Giant RV store So we put the transaction together and then worked with the city to get it done said Richardson Its taken approximately a year to get it opened but now I think its going to be something very special the most interesting twist being the ability to have so many units inside We have about 100 units inside and about another 150 outside The buildings physical transformation from a Kmart to an RV dealership called for the elimination of much of the T bar ceiling structure in an effort to increase interior heights while eight doors and service bays were also installed along with LED lighting and a parts store Richardsons sales staff was in full operation in February with about 85000 square feet of the new stores area occupied by towable and motorized RV displays He was expecting to have his service department up and running within a couple of months And when I say we have more than 100 units inside every one of them is hooked up to power as well he told RVB The consumer could go in and everythings all lit up Its all shown as if you would be camping Its a pretty unique atmosphere At the end of the day Richardson mused his new store for which a grand opening date hadnt been set yet is ultimately a mixture of the future and the past You go to a Kmart a Walmart Sears all these buildings are coming up vacant he said When you think about it theres no way I could afford to have built this building from scratch It was pre existing and I was able to buy it at the right price to make it all work I definitely think its the way to go Shopping inside definitely makes it 10 times nicer For us in the summertime its 100 degrees outside Inside the RVs its 120 Now itll be a controlled atmosphere making for really nice shopping I think for the consumer Richardson and Mike Thompsons President Frank DeGelas meanwhile say theyre looking forward to cultivating the area market and the marketing partnership theyve established I dont know if theres anything quite like it anywhere involving independent locations noted Richardson who originally launched his dealership with his father and brother back in 1988 I think its going to be a great opportunity for us combining our marketing dollars with Thompsons to drive that business The consumer with us having moved there has a place to go and pretty much see all the brands within a five minute drive The expansive Colton dealership offers room for indoor displays Steve Richardson 82 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 1 9