Partner Article

Caravan firm expects to roll back into the black

CARAVAN and motor home manufacturer The Explorer Group is confident that the rebranding and ongoing development of its products will help it recover from a £3.3m annual loss.

The Consett firm saw its annual turnover plunge from £48m to £35m in the year to August 2009, while its pretax losses slipped from £200,000 to £3.3m in the same period.

However, despite what the company describes as the “continually deteriorating economic climate and the adverse impact of previous over production,” the business remains confident of making a strong recovery.

The group said initial indicators for the current year were encouraging with retail demand for its products being maintained in line with expectations.

Meanwhile, it has traded profitably in the 2009/10 financial year to date, thanks in part to operational actions which it says have made it more flexible.

“The directors believe that the company is well placed to manage its business risks and opportunities successfully despite the economic uncertainty,” the company said in its annual financial report.

The Explorer Group is the company behind the Elddis brand of caravans, which originated in the 1960s, and are produced at the company’s Delves Lane factory alongside its sister brand Buccaneer.

The company employs over 300 people and sells its products across the globe.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .