Kiwi rental giant buys Kea Campers

New Zealand-based rental giant Tourism Holdings Limited (THL) has acquired the Kea Campers' sales and rental brands in Australia from the parent company Kea New Zealand.

According to a statement from THL, the previous agents of Kea Australia have ceased trading and appointed liquidators for their business.

THL says the remaining Kea Australia depots (after Kea closed down four outlets in February) will be relocated to nearby THL branches, while THL has "leased sufficient Kea design fleet to deliver the same high-quality service to existing and future Kea Australia customers".

THL chief executive Grant Webster said THL was pleased to "have the financial strength, infrastructure and people in place to be able to assist".

"We have the full intention of honouring the terms, conditions and pricing offered by Kea Australia in the market place today and will deal with any issues with customers on the road with care and respect," he said.

Along with Apollo Motorhomes, THL is one of the biggest operators of rental motorhomes in Australia and New Zealand, operating a number of leading brands including Maui, Britz, and Backpacker.

"The Kea brand in Australia nicely complement's THL's existing Maui motorhome product in Australia, providing a different vehicle and experience that extends and enhances the THL product suite," he said.

THL's fleet of about 1450 vehicles will be boosted by around five per cent by the Kea acquisition.

The latest deal follows THL and Kea forming a joint venture in February to run their respective motorhome and campervan manufacturing businesses. The NZX-listed company also acquired US-based Road Bear RV Rentals & Sales in 2010.