3
NEWS
Another Aussie camper bites the dust
Queensland manufacturer of Armadillo and Customline campers placed in administrationThe struggling Australian camper trailer manufacturing industry has received another blow, with the Queensland-based builder of Armadillo and Customline camper trailers placed in administration last month.
The appointed administrators, Andrew Fielding and Helen Newman from the BDO Group, held an initial meeting of creditors on March 23 at BDO’s Brisbane offices.
Armadillo Campers acquired Customline in 2014, with Armadillo co-owner Maz McKendrick at the time expressing a desire to expand the range of entry-level on- and off-road campers from both brands, including plans to consolidate production in a new factory near the Gold Coast.
The announcement is also further bad news for the Australian Manufactured Camper Trailer Guild, of which Armadillo and Customline were members.
The AMCTG was established in 2011 as a lobby group for Australian-made camper trailer manufacturers and reached a peak of around 30 manufacturer members around four years ago before dropping to 17 currently, although the number of camper trailer suppliers listed as members has increased slightly to 14.
The Guild also recently made public its frustration with former Guild member Camel Campers, which went into receivership late last year but was subsequently bought by Chinese RV importer and now local manufacturer MDC.
As well as removing Armadillo and Customline from its list of members, AMCTG recently posted a “warning” about Camel Campers continuing to display the Guild logo on its website without their permission.
“Despite repeated requests Camel Campers has refused to remove the guild logos on their website as they are not a member,” the statement reads on the website.
While the premium end of the Australian camper trailer market continues to do relatively well, the once thriving sub-$30K local tent trailer sector is on its knees, as Chinese campers continue to flood the market to the point where they now account for an estimated 10,000-plus sales in Australia annually.
Share this article
Written byChris Fincham
See all articlesStay up to dateBecome a caravancampingsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayDisclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Consent
Download the caravancampingsales app
