This is the seventh time that the Dealer of the Year Awards has celebrated Britain's best dealers. As in previous years, Practical Caravan has teamed up with the Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS) to recognise the dealers who put that little bit extra into their customer and after-sales services, providing exemplary care and attention.
CRiS, the national caravan database, provides unrivalled security checks for buyers identifying whether a caravan is recorded as stolen or if it has finance owing. All our winning dealers use the scheme to give their customers peace of mind.
The awards recognise that a dealer can make or break the experience of buying or owning a tourer. Shopping for a caravan should be enjoyable and hassle-free. Whether you're buying a new or a decent used caravan, this is a long-term investment that is likely to set you back by a five-figure sum. Although it's important to approach a dealer after doing your own research on which to buy, it is still vital that the dealer gives you effective, straightforward advice.
The dealer you choose should ensure that this is a stress-free time; you should be guided every step of the way so you buy the caravan that best matches your needs. To do this, a dealership needs superb product knowledge, approachable and helpful staff and a good selection.
There is a basic recipe for a good dealer. They will ensure that your outfit is safe, that the caravan you decide to buy – be it new or used – is in proper working order and that any problems can be rectified with minimum fuss.
However, the dealer's role is far from over once the sale has been agreed. The best will go that extra mile to make sure your van gets first-rate annual servicing and, when a repair is required, it causes little disruption and does not make a huge dent in your bank balance.
Winners are selected from among names provided by the best source: you, the caravanner. As usual, you have done our hobby proud and voted by the sack load for your favourite dealers. It was from these nominations that we created our shortlist. Practical Caravan‘s mystery shoppers, a team of experienced caravanners, paid anonymous visits posing as serious buyers to test the shortlisted nominees.
Team members rated each dealer against our judging criteria (see panel, below). They were interested in how much care and attention each dealer showed in matching their choice of caravan to their towcar. The shoppers also ran through a couple of typical trip-up situations like whether dealers would dissuade them from buying an unsuitable model. The shoppers also checked out the accessory store, the facilities available, from parking to whether they used the Towsafe facility and their ability to service and repair your tourer.
The five winners lived up to both readers' and judges' expectations. Our mystery shoppers and readers' recommendations reported outstanding buying experiences at all five and were impressed with their after-sales performance.
We hope this encourages other dealerships to emulate the fantastic customer service shown by this year's winners. Turn the page to find out who our four regional winners are and which dealership was named 2008 Dealer of the Year.

Matching caravan to customer
The staff at each dealership had to display an excellent understanding of each customer's needs. This included individual budgets and the number of people to use the caravan, while offering and explaining the available choice.

Ensuring a safe and suitable towcar match
Staff had to pay attention to the relevant weights and limits to ensure that the customers' towcar would be a suitable match to any caravan that they were considering purchasing.

After-sales service
A first-rate ability to complete servicing and small repairs in a reasonable time was very important, but paramount was the manner in which customers' needs were handled.

Choice and knowledge of accessories
A varied and good stock of accessories and awnings was as important as the expert knowledge that the staff should be able to provide. The friendliness and approachability of staff was also considered.

A word from CRiS
Getting a good deal when you buy a caravan is all well and good, but it's no good if the dealer's service lets you down. You want a pleasant experience through the purchase and after the sale should problems arise. At HPI, we recognise the importance of consistently delivering excellent customer service and that it is all too easy to lose customer loyalty when things go wrong. Generally it's not the problems that create bad feeling – it's the way they're handled.
That is why we encourage best practice through our CRiS Dealer of the Year Award. When dealers operate to established standards, we can measure their commitment to customer service. For example, their use of CRiS in checking all part-exchange caravans and their commitment to clear and honest outfit matching techniques tell us a lot about how well they try to protect you in the face of the complexities of buying a caravan.
Shortlisted dealers in each region are ‘mystery shopped', not by journalists or HPI staff, but by selected readers of Practical Caravan. And believe me, these guys know what to look for.
Nominations for next year's award can be made by visiting the Practical Caravan website or writing to me.
Alan Bishop
Industry Relations Director, HPI