New Melbourne factory for Hitch Hika
Adelaide’s Hitch Hika caravans to relocate Melbourne operationsOne of the nation’s largest RV retailers, Adelaide’s Camperagent, is currently in final negotiations with several respected Victorian manufacturers to have its home brand Hitch Hika caravans manufactured in Australia’s RV heartland of Campbellfield.
Camperagent Dealer Principal John Munro told caravancampingsales the move, which will replace the company’s current Sydney Road manufacturing facility and retail dealership, was designed with future growth in mind.
”We’re a big Adelaide multi-brand superyard with a 2.9 hectare retail site at Parafield Gardens and more than 250 caravans and motorhomes in stock, but we need to build our own Hitch Hika models in Campbellfield because that’s where all the major manufacturers and suppliers are located,” he said.
“We have tried to combine manufacturing and retailing at our current Sydney Road property, but we’re too big to run a small operation from another state and we haven't been able to get traction with retail out the front in such a hard market.
“We’ve given it a red hot go for the past three years, but we’ve found it’s just not feasible to manage this remotely. So, we've decided to concentrate on building rather than retailing in Melbourne.
"We believe we can expand the brand better by partnering with an established,Campbellfield manufacturer and taking advantage of their experience and connections.
“We’ve been talking to companies that specialise in building traditional caravans, because these are what Hitch Hikas are. We hope to have an announcement by Easter."
Munro said that 40-50 Hitch Hikas were currently being built each year, with the majority being freighted back to Adelaide to be sold via its nationally-accredited Camperagent RV Centre network.
As part of the transfer of Hitch Hika manufacturing operations in Melbourne he expected that the majority of the company’s existing employees would move to the new operation.
Munro said he will be in Melbourne in the days leading up to Easter to finalise the appointment of a new Hitch Hika manufacturer.
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