Paradise motorhomes back in business

Queensland premium RV manufacturer Paradise Motor Homes is back in business, operating from a brand new factory on the Gold Coast and with the financial backing of one of Australia's biggest RV companies.

After Paradise went into voluntary administration in late-2022 and the business was wound up, the new owners of Paradise – who also run major Melbourne manufacturer JB Caravans – recently relaunched the premium motorhome brand via social media, with production now being ramped up at a new factory at 21 Dixon St, Yatala.

According to Paradise Motor Homes sales manager Mark Rixon, who also worked at the company for a number of years under the two previous owners, the new owners are promising that Paradise will remain a distinctly more upmarket and separate entity from any other RV business they operate.

"We want customers to know that we have no intentions to lower the standards or the quality (of a Paradise motorhome) in any way," he said.

"We have a lot of key employees back on board including some of the older employees which is obviously important, and we're also currently advertising for new full-time positions at the factory."

The reborn business has already taken a number of new orders, including around 20 customers who had previously placed an order for a Paradise motorhome under previous management.

The new management has also come to separate financial agreements with some of the customers left in the lurch after Paradise went into liquidation in November 2022.

caravancampingsales has been told that one couple stands to lose as much as $260,000 for a motorhome that had been under construction but not yet delivered by the previous owners.

"We've spoken to the customers with the eight chassis or works-in-progress. So far, five customers have decided to come back and place new orders, with three more customers still to finalise the new sale, so we are continuing their build," he said.

"They'd been looking around (for alternatives) but didn't want to invest their money elsewhere so they were really happy Paradise is now up and running and there's actually someone behind it now that is financially stable and can move Paradise forward."

The new factory will offer a similar model range line-up as before, from the entry-level Spark to more lavish $500,000-plus models. The plan is to boost annual production from recent lows of around 25 to up to 50 motorhomes or more, to coincide with an increase in production staff numbers from around 15 currently to 30-plus.

"We're also investing in new equipment at the factory, as the new owners want a similar if not higher quality than before, with all production remaining in Australia," he said.