Lunar has landed at Derby Caravan Centre

The Caravan Industry, like most Companies in the UK, has gone through some very challenging times over the past 18 months or so. Several well known traditional caravan manufacturers have closed their doors for the last time whilst others, like Swift and the Explorer Group, have consolidated their position by stopping the production of some of their well known brand names.

Click here to see The New Lunar Caravan Range

For us this means the sad loss of the Compass Brand, which Derby Caravan Centre has built its success on, and many of our customers are still proud owners of Compass Caravans. The caravan retail industry suffered in a similar way and 2008 saw the demise of many caravan retail outlets.

However, as we moved into 2009, the telephones started ringing again and our site saw an unexpectedly large numbers of customers visiting; many of them new to caravanning. There were a number of factors which seemed to influence this sudden upsurge in interest including:

• The drop in the value of the pound against other currencies was making people think twice about going abroad;
• The greater awareness of the negative impact on the environment from flying;
• The impact on the pocket and the environment of staying in a hotel;
• The fact that peoples savings were dropping in value made them think about investing the money in something that they could get ongoing pleasure out of for many years to come.

So for those of you who came to visit us during the past few months and did not get much of a choice we are sorry.

So what about the future for Derby Caravan Centre and, more importantly, our loyal customer base. Firstly let me reassure existing Compass Owners that there is absolutely no problem with their warranty or getting spares as the Explorer Group, now re-branded as the Elddis Group, is still going strong. Equally the Compass product has been virtually identical to the Elddis product for the last few years and those of you who chose Compass over Elddis almost certainly did it on the basis of the upholstery colour.

The new Elddis models give you a choice of three very different upholsteries so we should be able to please most of you. We have already noticed that the increased focus on Elddis has produced some exciting improvements and layouts which bode well for the coming year.

However, we have been aware over the last year or so that with the demise of the Burstner brand for economic reasons – Euro/pound – we have not been able to offer the choice of brands that many of our customers were looking for.

Equally more and more of our customers are struggling to find the caravan that they would like without changing their car at the same time for one which is bigger and heavier. Our insistence on only supplying a safe and well balanced outfit has often meant that customers have been forced to compromise or go elsewhere. We do not know of any other retailer who insists on the type of car, with its kerbside weight, going on to the caravan order form!

So we have had discussions with most of the caravan manufacturers over the past few months but it was with Lunar that we found the greatest affinity. The structural engineers within their design team have cleverly found ways of achieving good structural integrity whilst making significant reductions in overall weight of their caravans over the years.

At the same time, we believe, that they have made considerable improvements in design and specification in recent years. An example of this is the fact that the new top of the range Delta & Clubman models all have Alde wet central heating, ATC anti snake systems and a tracker fitted as standard.

Our site is already starting to fill up with these new models and we have had to make some improvements to accommodate them. So what will you see and what choice will you have when you make your next visit.

The Value Ranges:

Both the new Sprite range and the Elddis Explore models look very different to their predecessors. In fact our first customers who have seen them have found it difficult to reconcile the prices on the screen with the appearance and feel of the caravans.

The Mid ranges:

Here the choice is even greater. You will be able to see on site:

• Three different two berth end kitchen models, which are a rare commodity these days, but still very popular with some of our customers. The Lunar Arriva can be pulled by a VW Polo and will fit into the narrowest of drives, whilst the Lunar Stella has a Microwave at low level!!
• A range of 5 of the ever popular two berth end washrooms.
• 10 fixed bed models on a single axle including 5 of the extremely popular new fixed bed models with the end washroom as well – some choice.
• 6 proper family vans with bunks on a single axle and a further 3 family vans on a twin axle.
• Three more twin axle vans with fixed beds giving a total of 6 twin axle demo vans on site.

If you go onto the section of this website for new vans you will see a table under each model type (e.g 2 berth end washrooms) showing which models we sell, which ones are normally on site as demonstrators and a summary of details about each one. The full specification for each van will follow as soon as possible.

Top of the Range:

We are delighted that the new Elddis Group has retained the exclusive Buccaneer range. We intend to maintain our position as one of the top Buccaneer dealers in the country but as usual, because of the low turnover, we will have minimal stocks. Most of our Buccaneer customers come and see us at the shows where they can be sure of seeing the full range.

I hope that you will be able to come and see for yourself the large choice that we can offer now. One thing that will not change is our fervent desire to provide excellent customer service. No ‘spivvy’ salesman who try and sell you something that you don’t want but a team of competent, knowledgeable people who will do their best to get you what you want at a fair price.

Article Posted: Sept 2009