Tingdene Homes to unveil new and improved website
Tingdene Homes will be unveiling its transformative new website this month, which has been commissioned to redefine the digital experience for both buyers and park owners in the holiday lodge and park home sectors. The new website is part of Tingdene’s own reinvention, which coincides with the Wellingborough-based company’s 50th anniversary and their recent re-brand that encourages customers to discover the Tingdene Difference. With on-site journeys tailored to the needs of distinct audience personas, the website aims to revolutionise the online customer experience, and draws upon five decades of expertise and innovation to aid both customers and park owners as they browse the site. Tingdene’s Commercial Director Jamie Wilkins said: “For the past fifty years we’ve been known as trendsetters in our industry, so this latest evolution of our company is just another sign of the innovation that we hold at our heart. We have high hopes for the new website – not just in helping Tingdene to set a new benchmark for excellence, but in helping buyers and park owners to find the information that will change their lifestyle or business for the better.” The website is filled with unique interactive tools along with a comprehensive ‘help and advice’ portal that’s planned to be one of the industry’s most extensive resources. An innovative and easy-to-use Park Finder tool will be launched in a later stage of the website, providing a promotional platform for park owners, whilst at the same time bestowing customers with a wide choice of endorsed leisure and residential parks. Owners and operators of leisure and residential parks are invited to register their interest in Tingdene’s new Park Finder tool by contacting marketing@tingdene.co.uk Tingdene Homes LTD announce new stock finance relationship with Hitachi Capital UK Tingdene Homes Ltd, manufacturer of park homes and holiday lodges, are pleased to announce that they have launched new stock finance facilities with Hitachi Capital Business Finance. The new finance deal, which will start with immediate effect, will provide Park Operators & Dealers with between 90 and 180 days ‘interest free’ stock finance, with a max 360 day funding period for all new supplied Homes. Simon Baker, Head of Sales at Tingdene Homes Ltd commented: “The new stock finance scheme with Hitachi Capital is definitely a game changer for us and something our customers have been requesting. Now we will be able to provide alternative stock finance payment options to our Park Operator customers. Cash flow planning and risk mitigation is critical as Tingdene continues to grow its market share and we look forward to working closely with Hitachi Capital in supporting the increasing demand for holiday homes. This is a funding relationship that we hope will develop alongside the increased pace of the growth in the park and holiday home space that we have seen recently. Gavin Wraith-Carter, Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Business Finance, added: “We are delighted to be working with Tingdene Homes Ltd. This new partnership with a high quality, respected Holiday Home manufacturer is a further clear illustration of our planned strategy to become the number one funder in the Leisure sector. Hitachi Capital Business Finance, a subsidiary of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, provides business asset finance to over 25,000 customers across the UK, powering both SMEs and bigger corporations to meet their goals and grow. Working across multiple sectors, the business works through finance brokers and with vendor organisations to provide products including hire purchase, operating lease, finance lease solutions and block discounting. For more information on Tingdene, please click here
Heaven in Devon: Brixham park reveals new luxury lodges
One of Devon’s most dramatically located holiday parks, Riviera Bay in Brixham, will shortly be raising the curtains on a new development of luxury lodges. Perched on a cliff-top with breathtaking views across St Mary’s Bay, the newly-built lodges will give families the chance to own a holiday home like no other in the West Country. Park Holidays UK describes the development as the most prestigious it has ever completed, and is holding a public preview weekend on 16/17 June. The celebration event will see the official opening of the development with guests enjoying guided tours of the lodges, and free day-long use of all the park’s facilities. These include an swimming pool complex, entertainment centre, and bar and restaurants. The 17 new lodges for sale in the first phase are located in separate grounds adjacent to the main park, and owners will have access to a beautiful dog-friendly beach via the coastal path. Starting at just over £157,000 and rising to almost double that figure, the lodges are just a fraction of what it might cost to own a cottage in picture-postcard Brixham. And that, says the group, would be minus the views, privacy, and living space of its lodges. Lodge owners will also be able to enjoy holidays throughout the four seasons in their leisure homes as Riviera Bay is open for eleven months of the year. All-weather comfort is assured by the high-efficiency central heating and the superior levels of insulation with which all of the lodges come equipped as standard. There is a choice of two and three-bedroom models – and all have two bathrooms, generous living areas, fully-fitted modern kitchens, luxury furnishings, and a large external veranda. The amazing setting, says the group, is likely to provide a massive second income potential through sub-letting via Park Holiday UK’s optional management programme. There will also be a substantial cost saving for early buyers on the new development as the company is promising free pitch fees for the next two years. The official opening of the lodges takes place on Saturday 16 June at 11.30am with a glass of bubbly and canapes for everyone attending. Tours are available on both the Saturday and Sunday. To book a visit to Riviera Bay, call 01803 220 564 – or email rivierabaysalesmanager@ParkHolidays.com. There is more information about Riviera Bay at www.ParkHolidays.com
Willerby’s new Juniper lodge allows owners to wallpaper its durable walls
A new luxury lodge that enables customers to tailor their own unique model, decorate the super-durable walls and gain a more restful night’s sleep was revealed by Willerby at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show, Birmingham NEC. The Juniper lodge is the second installment from Willerby’s luxury Botanical Collection. With configurability at its core, the lodge offers owners options to shape their space, including panoramic bi-folding doors, two colour schemes and four-bed layout. For those with mobility requirements, the Juniper offers the option to adapt the bathroom to provide users with wheelchair-friendly access, a feature which is complemented by the extra-wide doors and hallways throughout the lodge. Customers can also decide how to utilise the third room to suit their lifestyle. At the NEC show, the marker leader unveiled the Juniper’s unique new wall system. Impressive in its high durability, the Oslo Wall Syste can be painted, plastered and wallpapered again and again. It is also much stronger than plasterboard, with up to 40kg hanging from a single nail, meaning owners can hang pictures and mirrors wherever they like. The Oslo Wall System, exclusive to Willerby, is also highly insulating and proven to improve heat retention by 20%. Willerby’s marketing director Kirsten Bolton explains, “Both the Juniper lodge and our new wall system are a response to the growing desire of our customers to be able to shape their holiday homes to suit their own needs and tastes. Owners can now create the space, look and feel that works for their lifestyle.” Willerby also provided advice from “The Sleep Geek” James Wilson, who was on hand at the NEC to answer all questions sleep related, after the company teamed up with British mattress makers Hypnos to offer two bespoke upgrade options. A survey recently conducted by Willerby revealed the extent to which Brits enjoy a good night’s sleep on holiday, with 74% saying a comfortable bed is top on their list of priorities when it comes to holiday accommodation. So its Simply Better Sleep option offers either the Hypnos Cranborne luxury pocket sprung mattress in double or king-sizes, as well as the Super Sleep Singles range. In addition, to celebrate the launch of the new Juniper lodge, Willerby has made a pledge to support the plight of the Juniper berry that has faced near extinction in recent years, by planting bushes in a number of holiday parks across the UK. To find out more about the Willerby Juniper lodge, please visit willerby.com/holiday-lodges/juniper Willerby’s CEO Peter Munk on the new Juniper lodge Caravan Industry & Park Operator’s sales representative Lisa Ryder spoke with the delightful Peter Munk, CEO of Willerby, about the new Juniper lodge. Peter was very excited to introduce the Juniper, saying, “This beautiful lodge is very unique in the industry as it is not only finished to the highest quality, the walls are made from OSLO Wall. This is a different materiel used than that of other park homes. “The Oslo wall is so strong that owners can hang heavy items – including bike racks – on to the wall and be reassured that the walls will not be damaged. Owners can also decorate the interior walls to their preference, including painting and wallpapering.” Peter added that the lodge comes with an option of packages to create a home-from-home feel. He said, “This includes the ability to re-position the furniture to taste, additional third and fourth rooms which can conveniently be a bedroom, a study or utility room.” The interior has a luxurious and stylish finish with a choice of soft furnishing styles, and Willerby designers have even teamed up with Hypno Mattresses to give the owners a relaxing sleep while on holiday. Willerby have also ensured the Juniper is suitable for those needing accessible holidays, with wider door frames for wheelchairs. The Juniper can also be fitted with the additional Simply Pawsome pack, which will provide a holiday for the four legged family members as it offers a ‘pup gate’, stable door, and outdoor tap to stop mucky paws bringing in the dirt. Whilst at the show, Peter shared the news that Willerby had already made a sale to Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall. Meanwhile, the NEC show proved a huge success with its selection of park homes, lodges, touring caravans, motorhomes, campervans, Glamping and camping. They included all the big names in the industry plus a fantastic array of latest products and accessories. The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show had a holiday park layout to really create the excitement of planning the next family getaway – it was fun for all the family. Highlights included activities for the children such as a climbing wall, creche area and bush skills work shops, as well as dog agility shows, guest speakers – including the explorer legend Ranulph Fiennes – cooking demonstrations and the opportunity to practise the skill of towing.
Setting up a bike hire service & how it can bring business benefits
Looking ahead to the 2020 holiday season, it’s a good time to consider new attractions and facilities for your caravan park, in terms of generating extra revenue, raising your profile and attracting additional custom from locals, holidaymakers and visitors to your area. Of course, new ventures are always a major consideration, in terms of outlay, time in-put, logistics and staffing, but one on-site service that’s proving increasingly popular at caravan parks of varying sizes, is a bike hire facility. For many of us, the idea of enjoying a spot of cycling on a caravan holiday is very appealing, but the practicalities of transporting the bikes and accessories can sometimes prove too difficult if you’re not an avid cyclist and you are also pressed for space in the car! Bike hire is often a popular choice for family groups, occasional cyclists or the adventurous amongst us who fancy trying mountain biking trails for a day or two. We called on Michael Kercel of cycling experts Raleigh www.raleigh.co.uk to offer some tips on setting up a cycle hire service on the caravan park –it may be just a little easier and a lot more lucrative for your business than you’d previously imagined. “Raleigh are often approached by businesses wanting to provide a cycle hire fleet and also to give some practical advice to operators who decide to go for it and introduce a bike hire facility for their own clientele and visitors to the area too. If you’d like to offer bike hire but don’t want to have to staff it and set it up from scratch, then some operators make a success of their venture by teaming up with a local independent cycle dealer who will run the scheme whilst the caravan operator takes rent and possibly a percentage of the hire business. This is often viewed as an ideal scenario if you are lucky enough to have a local dealer who is interested in an arrangement of this kind. However, many operators choose to go it alone and start with a modest fleet of cycles, building up the stock in year 2 and beyond as the facility begins to take off. As with any new venture it pays to do your homework and check out the competition. The footfall at your site and its location, plus your degree of enthusiasm for the project will all make a contribution to its success – as will your ability to promote the new facility on your website & other marketing material. It also needs to be publicised at grass roots level by displaying leaflets and cards in local pubs and shops, via selected holiday cottage companies and TICs for example. Location, Location (Cycling) Location If you are located close to established cycle trails , reservoirs and other good cycling terrain then that is a definite bonus. The nature of the local landscape will also play a part in establishing the types of bikes that you have on offer. For example: if you are set in typical mountain bike territory, then it almost goes without saying that you need to include mountain bikes or even electric mountain bikes in your hire fleet, whereas those caravan parks in flatter terrain with winding country lanes and safer spots for children to cycle are more likely to take the family hire route – especially if this is your core clientele. No two caravan parks are the same so Raleigh can help you to identify suitable Raleigh or Raleigh Group company bikes. It makes sound sense to choose a fleet of reliable cycles from the same manufacturer and to have several of the same type of bike both from an aesthetics point of view and because of compatibility of spare parts and helping to keep the cost of stocking spare parts to a minimum. If you’re near to a trail centre then it would be worth investing in a good hardtail Mountain Bike such as the Diamondback Heist 1, which you could typically expect to hire out at a day rate of around £20-25 – depending on your location, footfall & the local competition. Consider the hire periods on offer – do you just want to hire out for full and half days, with a reduced rate for weekly hire, or would your setting also lend itself to hourly hire scenarios? You may also need to consider supplying locks if the hire bikes will be used to travel to local shops and cafes. The new trend for power – assisted electric bikes ( or E-bikes as they’re sometimes known) is also proving a popular cycle hire attraction – especially for parents & grandparents who like to keep up with younger members of the family on cycling trips. There are also specialist e-mountain bikes that are proving a new experience for the adventure seekers too! Popular electric hire bikes from the Raleigh range include the new Strada Trail Sport electric (below) a hardwearing electric bike that’s suited to both roads and tracks,. http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?img=RSTSMDGN.jpg&pc=1&pt=198&pg=18011 For the e-mountain bike thrill-seekers our sister company Haibike’s high spec electric mountain bikes are proving a big draw. The Haibike SDuro Hard 7 4.0 pictured below is proving a popular choice amongst these new generation E-bikers. High performance electric bikes can often be hired out at prices in the region of £40 +per day so they’re suited to operators who enjoy a high footfall of mountain biking enthusiasts. For the family market, Raleigh offers Burley cycle trailers for the little ones who aren’t yet ready to cycle independently for any distance and the high spec Raleigh Performance range is a good choice for children who are proficient peddlars aged from 5 to around 12 or 13 (depending on height). Remember, additional revenue can be generated on accessory hire – such as helmets, locks etc. Other considerations include the fact that ideally you need a visible ‘shop front’ for your cycle hire facility – there’s no point having it if people
