Dealership downsizing

A dealership specialising in recreational vehicles (RVs) is closing its sales yard and shifting to a smaller site in response to tough trading conditions.

RV Mega in Mount Maunganui has announced it is also cutting staff numbers as it downsizes until economic conditions recover.

Owner Richard Olsen says the business will move from its leased Hewletts Rd site to a smaller location as it continues its workshop and retail operations with reduced vehicle sales, reports the NZ Herald.

He adds higher fuel prices, the cost-of-living crisis, tariffs and lower visitor numbers to Mount Maunganui last summer after a fatal landslide had created three challenging years for the company.

“Unfortunately, I’ve had to make quite a few of my staff redundant, which is never a nice thing to go through, for them or me,” says Olsen

Olsen, who notes motorhomes and caravans have been his passion for more than a decade, bought the RV Mega in June 2020 after a career in supermarket management in New Zealand and the UK.

He told the Herald he was cautiously optimistic about the future and hopes reducing overheads now means the dealership can “bounce back” when the market improves.

The New Zealand Motor Caravan Association says the industry is having to adjust after a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic had cooled significantly.