Network RV joins JB Group stable
JB and New Age Caravans owner acquires intellectual property of collapsed manufacturer Network RVThe Melbourne-based JB Group has added more RV brands to its stable, after announcing it has acquired the intellectual property rights to Melbourne caravan manufacturer Network RV for an undisclosed price.
The sale comes after the Network RV group of companies entered voluntary administration last month with debts totalling $30 million. The Epping, Victoria-based caravan and chassis builder reportedly owed $12 million to trade creditors, $3 million to the ATO, $10 million to a financier and $1.5 million in employee entitlements.
In mid-June administrators SV Partners, announced it was seeking to sell off the various Network RV assets, including three Fair Dinkum Caravan dealerships, and 129 complete and 18 incomplete 'vans.
JB does it again
The Network RV acquisition further boosts the JB Group’s growing portfolio, which includes JB, New Age and Traveller Caravans and Paradise Luxury Motorhomes.
The JB Group started off building JB caravans in 2010, before spending a multi-million dollar sum acquiring New Age Caravans from Walkinshaw in 2024. It also resurrected Paradise Motorhomes after the Queensland manufacturer collapsed owing millions to customers.
The Traveller Caravans brand was purchased in another liquidation sale, while more recently JB has invested in RV rental platform Camplify and partnered with ambitious Chinese start-up Skydream RV.
JB is also investing tens of millions of dollars in RV super-centres across the country.
A JB Group spokesperson said the plan is to relaunch some or all of the Network RV brands, which include Victory, Styline and Vancraft, in a similar manner to what JB has done with Traveller Caravans.
The Traveller brand was relaunched last year as an entry-level full composite range, built at the New Age Caravans factory.
Resolving outstanding warranty issues
SV Partners said there were "minimal outstanding customer deposits" when the Network RV group collapsed, although a number of Network RV owners have been left with unresolved warranty issues.
The JB spokesperson said that the JB Group "will work with customers and dealers toward a resolution" of any outstanding warranty claims.
“Our priority from day one is to work hand in hand with the dealers and customers who have supported these brands over the years,” JB Group CEO Chris Polites said in a statement.
“We’re committed to engaging openly with those customers and our dealer partners, being upfront about timeframes, and making this right. It’s an important first step in showing what JB Group ownership means for this brand.
“These are brands with a loyal following and a strong reputation for quality Australian-made design, and we see enormous potential to build on that foundation."
Network RV was established in 2014 and reportedly produced more than 5000 caravans in the last five years alone.
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