Camping World buys Bodily RV
National chain that will operate stores in Meridian and Idaho Falls sees growth potential in the state.
The nation's largest RV retailer has purchased Meridian-based Bodily RV Center.
The purchase by Chicago-based Freedom Roads/Camping World also clears the way for Idaho to get its first two Camping World stores: at Bodily RV's Meridian location at 1580 W. Overland Road and at Bodily RV's Idaho Falls location.
The company said it plans to open the Camping World in Meridian within the next six months and the Idaho Falls store within eight months.
Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of FreedomRoads/Camping World, said the company had been looking at the Boise-area market before its purchase of Bodily RV.
"We had identified the market as a successful and growing RV market and actually had a contract on property that was three lots down from Bodily's current facility," Lemonis said.
Eventually, Lemonis said, the company decided it made more sense to try to acquire Bodily RV and take advantage of its leading position in the local market. Bodily RV is on track to record $45 to $50 million in sales this year.
Lemonis said the company plans to expand the Bodily RV location by adding 15,000 square feet of retail space to accommodate the Camping World store and adding an additional 20 to 25 service bays to serve the dealership and the store.
The company expects to add 30 to 35 new employees to the Meridian location. As part of the expansion, Lemonis said they've also decided to paint the dealership and Camping World store in a blue and orange color scheme to recognize the Boise State Broncos.
"This particular store with the addition of Camping World is expected to generate $70 million of revenue on an annual basis," he said.
Ultimately, Lemonis said, they hope to capture 40 percent of the Idaho RV market. He said the company will be looking at acquiring other RV dealers to make that happen.
The company has more than 130 Camping World locations nationwide. Some of them are stand-alone and some are in combination with a dealership. Lemonis said the company also operates nearly 60 RV dealerships.
The closest stores to Idaho are in Draper, Utah, and Portland.
Camping World stocks a large selection of accessories and camping gear aimed at the recreational vehicle market. The company is one of the largest retailers of Honda generators and sells 10 million to 15 million camping grills annually, he said.
Lemonis said the company was attracted to Bodily RV because of how well the owners have been able to expand the business.
Gary Bodily admits he wasn't interested in selling at first.
"They approached me about two or three years ago, and I told them no, but they called back this April," Bodily said. "I had no intention of selling, but it seemed to be the right thing to do."
Bodily RV was started 11 years ago as Tom Scott's Regional RV Center, but Bodily bought out his partners and in September 1998 it became Bodily RV. The company started with four employees and has grown to more than 90 employees.
Bodily said he's still a little uneasy about selling his business, but said it's the best move for the store to help with its growth and will give better opportunities for his employees.
"There are a lot of good people here that make this store go," Bodily said.
Used RVs and Latest RV News
Custom Search
RV Resources / Sponsors
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Camping World buys Bodily RV
Camping World buys Bodily RV
National chain that will operate stores in Meridian and Idaho Falls sees growth potential in the state.
The nation's largest RV retailer has purchased Meridian-based Bodily RV Center.
The purchase by Chicago-based Freedom Roads/Camping World also clears the way for Idaho to get its first two Camping World stores: at Bodily RV's Meridian location at 1580 W. Overland Road and at Bodily RV's Idaho Falls location.
The company said it plans to open the Camping World in Meridian within the next six months and the Idaho Falls store within eight months.
Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of FreedomRoads/Camping World, said the company had been looking at the Boise-area market before its purchase of Bodily RV.
"We had identified the market as a successful and growing RV market and actually had a contract on property that was three lots down from Bodily's current facility," Lemonis said.
Eventually, Lemonis said, the company decided it made more sense to try to acquire Bodily RV and take advantage of its leading position in the local market. Bodily RV is on track to record $45 to $50 million in sales this year.
Lemonis said the company plans to expand the Bodily RV location by adding 15,000 square feet of retail space to accommodate the Camping World store and adding an additional 20 to 25 service bays to serve the dealership and the store.
The company expects to add 30 to 35 new employees to the Meridian location. As part of the expansion, Lemonis said they've also decided to paint the dealership and Camping World store in a blue and orange color scheme to recognize the Boise State Broncos.
"This particular store with the addition of Camping World is expected to generate $70 million of revenue on an annual basis," he said.
Ultimately, Lemonis said, they hope to capture 40 percent of the Idaho RV market. He said the company will be looking at acquiring other RV dealers to make that happen.
The company has more than 130 Camping World locations nationwide. Some of them are stand-alone and some are in combination with a dealership. Lemonis said the company also operates nearly 60 RV dealerships.
The closest stores to Idaho are in Draper, Utah, and Portland.
Camping World stocks a large selection of accessories and camping gear aimed at the recreational vehicle market. The company is one of the largest retailers of Honda generators and sells 10 million to 15 million camping grills annually, he said.
Lemonis said the company was attracted to Bodily RV because of how well the owners have been able to expand the business.
Gary Bodily admits he wasn't interested in selling at first.
"They approached me about two or three years ago, and I told them no, but they called back this April," Bodily said. "I had no intention of selling, but it seemed to be the right thing to do."
Bodily RV was started 11 years ago as Tom Scott's Regional RV Center, but Bodily bought out his partners and in September 1998 it became Bodily RV. The company started with four employees and has grown to more than 90 employees.
Bodily said he's still a little uneasy about selling his business, but said it's the best move for the store to help with its growth and will give better opportunities for his employees.
"There are a lot of good people here that make this store go," Bodily said.
National chain that will operate stores in Meridian and Idaho Falls sees growth potential in the state.
The nation's largest RV retailer has purchased Meridian-based Bodily RV Center.
The purchase by Chicago-based Freedom Roads/Camping World also clears the way for Idaho to get its first two Camping World stores: at Bodily RV's Meridian location at 1580 W. Overland Road and at Bodily RV's Idaho Falls location.
The company said it plans to open the Camping World in Meridian within the next six months and the Idaho Falls store within eight months.
Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of FreedomRoads/Camping World, said the company had been looking at the Boise-area market before its purchase of Bodily RV.
"We had identified the market as a successful and growing RV market and actually had a contract on property that was three lots down from Bodily's current facility," Lemonis said.
Eventually, Lemonis said, the company decided it made more sense to try to acquire Bodily RV and take advantage of its leading position in the local market. Bodily RV is on track to record $45 to $50 million in sales this year.
Lemonis said the company plans to expand the Bodily RV location by adding 15,000 square feet of retail space to accommodate the Camping World store and adding an additional 20 to 25 service bays to serve the dealership and the store.
The company expects to add 30 to 35 new employees to the Meridian location. As part of the expansion, Lemonis said they've also decided to paint the dealership and Camping World store in a blue and orange color scheme to recognize the Boise State Broncos.
"This particular store with the addition of Camping World is expected to generate $70 million of revenue on an annual basis," he said.
Ultimately, Lemonis said, they hope to capture 40 percent of the Idaho RV market. He said the company will be looking at acquiring other RV dealers to make that happen.
The company has more than 130 Camping World locations nationwide. Some of them are stand-alone and some are in combination with a dealership. Lemonis said the company also operates nearly 60 RV dealerships.
The closest stores to Idaho are in Draper, Utah, and Portland.
Camping World stocks a large selection of accessories and camping gear aimed at the recreational vehicle market. The company is one of the largest retailers of Honda generators and sells 10 million to 15 million camping grills annually, he said.
Lemonis said the company was attracted to Bodily RV because of how well the owners have been able to expand the business.
Gary Bodily admits he wasn't interested in selling at first.
"They approached me about two or three years ago, and I told them no, but they called back this April," Bodily said. "I had no intention of selling, but it seemed to be the right thing to do."
Bodily RV was started 11 years ago as Tom Scott's Regional RV Center, but Bodily bought out his partners and in September 1998 it became Bodily RV. The company started with four employees and has grown to more than 90 employees.
Bodily said he's still a little uneasy about selling his business, but said it's the best move for the store to help with its growth and will give better opportunities for his employees.
"There are a lot of good people here that make this store go," Bodily said.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment