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NEWS
Bailey shuffles dealer cards
Bailey do-it-alone decision triggers domino effectBailey Australia’s decision to go-it-alone with its own dealerships in Victoria and Queensland (following its preliminary move to set up its shingle in Morrissey, near Newcastle), has had some interesting knock-on effects in the retail industry, triggering new franchises and an expansion amongst other existing players.
In Victoria, Bailey Australia is planning to establish its own retail site in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, not far from its existing Campbellfield HQ and the assembly facility for its local Rangefinder and Coastal models.
The move coincides with long-standing Melbourne Bailey dealer Canterbury Caravans’ move to a new site around the corner in Dorset Road from its long-standing yard at 140 Canterbury Road, Bayswater.
The new Canterbury Caravans site is slightly larger than the one that the company has occupied for the past 20 years in the ‘World of Caravans’ complex, but more than half the new site will be dedicated to a large undercover showroom, service and parts facility.
With the absence of Bailey, Canterbury Caravans will remain the Victorian distributor for Paramount and Golden Eagle caravans and will become the sole Victorian distributor of On the Move caravans, replacing Carrier. It will also continue its long-standing agency for Camec RV accessories.
No other European caravan brand has yet been chosen to replace Bailey in its portfolio.
Canterbury Caravans expects to complete the move into its new facility by mid-August, ahead of a formal public opening at the end of the month, with Dealer Principal Col Tobin, Sales Manager Ian Sanders, Admin Manager Laura Tobin and the service and parts staff also making the move.
The Canterbury Caravans move has been welcomed by its opposite neighbour, Bayswater Jayco, which plans to expand onto the site. The Jayco outlet was previously dwarfed in size by its Page Bros Jayco retail rival in Seaford and while not equalling Page Bros’s real estate, the expansion will ease the squeeze on Jayco’s Canterbury road dealer.
Meanwhile, Bailey Australia is continuing the search for a new Melbourne retail site and has yet to appoint a Victorian dealer, with all Victorian sales enquiries in the meantime being fielded by National Sales Manager, Craig Coulter.
Bailey Leisure Marketing Manager Gina Stanwell says the new Victorian dealership will offer “better service to meet the growing needs of the market”, with the new facility combining sales, service and repairs.
Two States north, Bailey Australia has now finalised the location of its new factory-owned Queensland retail facility at 9 Allgas Street, Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane. Due to open on July 17, the new facility is well located at only 20 minutes’ drive from the State’s capital and 40 minutes from the Gold Coast.
The company’s recently-appointed Queensland Dealer Principal, Karen Garbutt, comes to Bailey with a wealth of experience in areas of planning, management, coordination and marketing from her time at international companies, including ACNielsen and through developing solutions for businesses via her own company.
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Written byMichael Browning
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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.
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