Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, business has been booming for the camping industry, resulting in local RV and trailer retailers scrambling to keep inventory in stock.
Bella Vista RV Centre general manager and co-owner Bruno Tombari Jr. serves as the president of the Ontario RV Dealers Association. He says dealers are experiencing record demand in RV sales due to restrictions on the travel industry.
“The demand and inquiries are higher than what has been experienced in previous years. Part of the restriction, however, has been inventory which has been very tight this year," he said.
“People want to travel and there are not a lot of options.”
The trailer market is sizzling, he said. Well equipped and nicely designed trailers are being sold at Bella Vista for anywhere from $30,000 to $41,000, Tombari Jr. says.
“Trailers, of course, always sell in the largest numbers, it’s the most affordable. We were lucky enough to make a large purchase before COVID occurred, so we had stocked up on inventory,” he explained.
However, those looking for custom trailer orders might have to be patient, Tombari Jr. says.
“Right now a trailer that you would normally be able to order and have go into production in four to six weeks is taking anywhere from three to four to seven months,” he said.
“The manufacturers right now have stopped taking dealer orders, they have enough orders in the production bank to go into the new year.”
Another popular option for campers recently has been motor homes, Tombari Jr. says.
“We are getting a lot of inquires but that’s the one that is most restricted with inventory right now. If you wanted to order a motor home right now as a customer with a custom order, it would likely not be in until early fall,” he said.
The hot market for trailers and RVs isn’t something that has never been experienced before. Tombari Jr. remembers after the 2008 financial crisis when retailers couldn’t keep motor homes in stock.
“We were pre-selling motor homes before they even hit the ground. This time has been similar because if you want something for this summer and it’s not in stock but it’s coming in, you want to secure it because dealers are getting onesies and twosies, and there could be 15 people looking for it,” he said.
“Usually at this time of the year we would have 100 to 150 RVs on the lot, and right now we might have 30 to 40," he said of his Oro-Medonte operation, located on busy Highway 11.
Despite the hot market, Tombari Jr. believes things will return to normal once most Canadians are vaccinated and the travel industry opens up.
“Getting back to regular volume will have to wait till next spring because that’s how much of a backlog there is,” he said.
Heidi’s RV Superstore is also experiencing the hot market for mobile homes.
“It’s definitely been one of the busiest starts to a season and inventory is extremely low,” says sales administrator Jenna Roubos.
“Camping is one of the things you can do with social distancing. People can’t travel anywhere else, so at least you can travel in our own backyards with a trailer.”
Heidi’s still has some stock, Roubos says, but most of their popular models sold out back in February and she doesn’t expect inventory levels to go back to normal until sometime in 2022.
Heidi’s also owns and operates a campground that is home to just shy of 250 campsites at its sprawling Oro-Medonte property. Roubos says campsite demand is surging.
“We are lucky in the fact that we did a campground expansion a year ago, we have a huge number of extra sites that most campgrounds would never have,” she said.
The May long weekend was fully booked at Heidi’s back in February, and the July long weekend is getting close to being fully booked. Most other weekends have limited space available and Roubos anticipates all sites will be fully booked in the near future.
“I feel like we will book out for sure (and) if we didn’t do the campground expansion, we would be sold out already,” she said.
“If you are planning on camping here this summer, I would get reservations in sooner rather than later.”
Currently, the campground is open during the lockdown for seasonal members and those who are in need of housing. If the trailer or RV is the guest’s actual home, then they can book a site during the lockdown. All reservations made before November will be honoured.
“We are not accepting any tent reservations at this time, they have to have self-contained units that have their own bathroom, as on-site public bathrooms will be closed during some of the colour zoned restrictions,” Roubos said.
People who would like to book a campsite at Heidi’s Campground can do so here.
The Hitch House says they are experiencing a 50 percent increase in sales.
“We have people placing orders for down the road, one of our manufactures has said a wait time could be anywhere as long as 18-months,” said inventory manager Chris McKee.
Low inventory is starting to become a concern for McKee and the staff at The Hitch House.
“Right now, we are begging for even display models. It’s hard for people to spend $100,000 and upward without having something they can look at, touch and feel. It’s like buying a house by just looking at a real estate listing,” he said.
Not only is inventory backed up, but so is the delivery of units.
“Due to the delivery backlog, because we only deliver one vehicle per day during the work week, I wouldn’t be able to deliver for at least six to seven weeks,” McKee said.
Despite the uptick in sales, the supply and delivery issues are hurting The Hitch House.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword. I can’t keep stuff in stock and I’m becoming nervous because it’s going to affect revenue at a certain point. I can’t sell if I don’t have any inventory,” he said.
“We employ 40 people here full-time, so it’s an issue we are anxious to get corrected.”
The motor home industry experienced a similar situation after the 9/11 terrorist attacks McKee says, which caused supply chain issues that took years to correct.
“People were afraid of traveling by plane, people were afraid to gather on a cruise ship, so the principles were kind of similar to what we are experiencing now, and we saw a huge uptick in sales a month or two after,” he explained.
McKee encourages those who want to order a motor home in the coming years to start the process now.
“We can still get motor homes on an on-order basis, so if you are thinking this is something you want to do in the next couple of years, order your vehicle now,” he said.
“The benefit to that is you can customize your order, pick your colours, your floor plan, and tailor it to your needs."
