Camping World Plans to Add 10th California Site

Camping World Inc. announces plans to open a new facility in Fresno, Calif. According to a press release, the new location will join 90 other Camping World locations, including nine in California.

With expected support of city officials, Camping World is in the final stages of planning the new location, which will encompass both a Camping World retail store and Camping World RV Sales dealership while generating tax revenue and new employment opportunities to the community. The release stated that early discussions have “shown strong support and interest from multiple manufacturers, suppliers and vendors looking for additional expansion in to this growing market.”

“Our growth plans across the country are consistent with Camping World’s philosophy of commitment to enhance our customers’ total RV experience,” said Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World. “By increasing the growth of both the retail and dealership locations in our network, Camping World is getting closer to achieving our goal of truly being the one-stop shopping location for the RV and outdoor enthusiast across the country.”

Fresno is the second new market identified in the California area in 2012 with the recent Redding location announcement with plans to open in May. The company expects to open the new Supercenter in the Fresno area later in 2012 and to hire about 25 to 30 new employees to reinforce their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership and accessory store.

“Our goal is to expand our business into new areas, and we are very excited about serving the Central California community,” said Lemonis.

 

Good Sam Moving Headquarters to Chicago Area

Good Sam Enterprises LLC (GSE) is relocating its executive headquarters from Ventura, Calif., to Lincolnshire, Ill. The planned move was announced today (March 8) by chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis.

“Our Chicago facility provides a centralized location for all our vendors, lenders and our nationwide Camping World SuperCenter network,” said Lemonis in a press release. “Plus, it is closer to the heart of the RV industry in Elkhart, Ind.”

Lemonis said Good Sam will still maintain regional offices in Denver, Colo.; Ventura, Calif.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Bowling Green, Ky.

Good Sam Enterprises and its wholly owned subsidiaries, which include the Good Sam Club and Camping World Inc., serve the safety, security, comfort and convenience needs of the North American outdoor and recreational vehicle market via various companies, brands, products and services.

 

 

 

Camping World Adding Store in Anderson, Calif.

Camping World Inc. will be opening its newest retail location in Anderson, Calif., according to a press release.

Camping World of Redding will be located at exit 670 off I-5. This new 37,776 square-foot facility will encompass both a Camping World retail store and Camping World RV sales dealership in addition to an RV collision center on-site.

“Our company branching in to the Redding, Calif., market makes perfect sense,” said Roger Nuttall, president of Camping World RV Sales. “Redding is known for its abundance of national and state parks, lakes, rivers, and streams which makes our new location ideal to serve the needs of outdoor and camping enthusiasts.”

The tentative grand opening celebration is slated for May 2012. The company is looking to employ between 30 to 35 employees to increase their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership and accessory store. Nearby Camping World SuperCenter California locations include facilities in Vacaville and Roseville.

“We are always looking to expand our business into new areas, and we are very excited about serving the Northern California community,” said Marcus Lemonis, Camping World chairman and CEO. “Our knowledgeable and trained team looks forward to providing one stop shopping RV conveniences to the Redding area in the near future.”

 

Camping World Opening Store in Spokane Area

Camping World Inc. will be opening a new store in Washington State’s Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area, occupying a fomer Mastercraft building, according to a report in the Spokesman Review.

Camping World is one of the nation’s bigger sellers of RV equipment, camping equipment and RV merchandise. It’s taking over the building used by Mastercraft as its main area showroom and RV dealership.

Camping World will lease the 10,800-square foot facility from Oppidan Investment, a Minnesota firm that will be the project developer. Oppidan paid about $1.8 million for the building, said Chris Bell of NAI Black. Bell represented the seller, Wayne Sorensen, in the transaction.

This will be the first store operated by Camping World in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area. The company has more than 75 stores in more than 30 states.

Ariz. Camping World Recovers from ’10 Damage

It was an act of God that turned Camping World in Bellemont into a makeshift junkyard just before dawn on Oct. 6, 2010.

As reported by the Arizona Daily Sun, the two tornadoes that touched down in the tiny community before 5:30 a.m. derailed train cars, blew semi trucks off the highway and destroyed nearly the entire inventory of the RV dealership. Bill Coverdale, the general manager of Camping World, said only two of the RVs were spared.

“Thirty-two were a total loss,” Coverdale said, remembering standing over the shredded remnants of the recreational vehicles in the days following the storm.

The tornadoes also tore down the fence between the dealership and the highway and damaged the main roof.

“There were a lot of leaks,” he said, noting the rooftop-mounted heater was eventually found in the parking lot.

Coverdale declined to answer how much damage the storms cost or how much was covered by the insurance company.

Camping World is scheduled to reopen the Bellemont store on March 15, offering with a larger inventory of vehicles, bigger staff and a new roof after being closed for 17 months.

The company temporarily opened a sales lot in Flagstaff last summer while repairs of the main location continued, but Coverdale is glad to be back home in the location he helped to open in March 2009.

“It is pretty exciting,” Coverdale said.

The phone was uncommonly silent earlier this week as employees began unpacking pallets of inventory for the showroom.

“There have been so many people who are excited about the grand opening,” he said.

The company has increased the size of its staff from 15 employees to a total of 23 for the grand opening in mid-March.

Coverdale is optimistic that the RVs — which range in price from as little as $4,000 for a small trailer to more than $150,000 for a decked-out model — will sell in the current uneasy economic market.

“The bottom line is that people are having fun again,” he said.

Company officials have decided to nearly double their pre-tornado inventory to 60 new RVs. But RV sales are only one aspect of the company’s offerings. Coverdale said they are the “Walmart of camping supplies” — stating they have everything the person would need to raft down the Colorado River, hike down to Supai or go camping in the Coconino National Forest.

 

 

Camping World Set to Open New Arkansas Store

Camping World will be opening their newest retail location in Lowell, Ark., offering a wide array of RV sales, service and accessories for the outdoor enthusiast.

Camping World of Northwest Arkansas will be located at exit 78 off I-540 and will encompass both a Camping World retail store and Camping World RV Sales dealership. Its new home is the facilities previously occupied by New Hope RV.

“Opening this new dealership in Lowell is exciting in itself,” T.J. Smith, Camping World Midwest regional vice president, said. “We are pleased to bring more RV resources to this historic town. Our team is already making plans to expand upon the services of the great facility we are in and we are thrilled to become a part of the community.”

The tentative grand opening celebration is slated for April 2012. The company is looking to employ between 20 to 25 employees to increase their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership. Nearby Camping World Super Center locations include facilities in Little Rock, Ark., and Springfield, Mo.

“We look forward to having Camping World serve the Northwest Arkansas market,” said Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “This area is best known for its natural beauty, and outdoor recreation so adding a Camping World RV Super Center is a great fit.”

 

Camping World Adding GlobalShopex to Website

Camping World Inc. announced it has partnered with GlobalShopex to enable international check-out and shipping on www.CampingWorld.com.

According to a press release, the move enables Camping World to support shipping to millions of customers throughout the globe, and is a key initiative in the company’s overall expansion strategy.

GlobalShopex is the leading provider of international ecommerce solutions for U.S.-based online retail operators. Camping World will be able to enable international checkout on their websites and ship worldwide, without taking on the risk of fraud. GlobalShopex handles all international payment processing, customer service in multiple languages and international shipping on behalf of its retail clients.

“We were looking to accommodate the traffic we were seeing coming to our website from international locations, and found the GlobalShopex solution to be the most compelling, lowest cost, and fastest to implement solution in the marketplace,” said Neal Scott, Camping World’s vice president of ecommerce. “Our in-house team had GlobalShopex’s international shopping cart solution up in less than two weeks from the time we started implementing. We started receiving international orders right away, and from places we didn’t expect, like Chile, Norway, and Australia.”

 

Camping World Reopening Buffalo, N.Y., Location

Camping World Inc. announced the reopening of its store in the Buffalo, N.Y., area, according to a press release.

The Camping World of Buffalo facility, located in Hamburg, is scheduled to reopen in March and operate under Camping World’s retail store model as a one-stop, full service shopping destination.

“With the reopening of Camping World of Buffalo, we are proud to once again offer our customers a one-stop shopping location for RV sales, accessories and service needs,” said Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “Providing all of those elements under one roof is essential for the historic Hamburg community, with its close proximity to parks and trails.”

“Customers have missed our Hamburg dealership,” commented Mark Calzone, northeast regional vice president. “And we’ve heard from many that they can’t wait until we reopen to serve the Buffalo RV community once again.”

The tentative grand opening celebration is slated for March 2012. The company is looking to hire at least 25 employees to increase their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership.

 

Camping World Readying for N.C. Store Opening

Camping World Inc. announced the March opening of a new retail location in Hendersonville, N.C.

According to a press release, Camping World of Asheville will offer convenient access for travelers at exit 44 on Highway 26 and will encompass both a Camping World retail store and Camping World RV Sales dealership. It is in the facilities formerly occupied by Todd’s RV & Marine.

The tentative grand opening celebration is slated for March. The company is looking to hire at least 30 employees to increase their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership.

“We look forward to having Camping World serve the Western North Carolina market,” said Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “Our strong Carolina presence, coupled with our affiliation with NASCAR through the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, made this an easy decision.”

 

Camping World to Open New Hampshire Outlet

Camping World Inc. will be opening a new retail location in Conway, N.H., according to a press release.

The new Camping World, serving northern New Hampshire and Maine, will house both a Camping World retail store and Camping World RV Sales dealership. Camping World of the White Mountains is in the facilities formerly occupied by Trafford’s RV.

The tentative grand opening celebration is slated for April, 2012. The company is looking to hire at least 30 employees to increase their sales, service and support needs for this local dealership.

“We look forward to having Camping World serve the northern New Hampshire and southern Maine Markets,” said, Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “We have great expectations for this Camping World based on the success of our current store in Chichester, N.H. I am also proud to be partnering with Trafford’s RV, Darlene Leavitt and Mrs. Trafford. They have served this community well for years and we have really enjoyed both the culture and the integrity of the Trafford family.”

 

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