We’ve more big news for British caravanners as we can share that the UK’s largest caravan and motorhome dealer network, Marquis Leisure, has been sold to the Trigano Group.

This news follows only a few days after it was announced that the same company has acquired Slovenian caravan manufacturer Adria – read our story here.

The Trigano Group, whose Antarès range of Caravelair caravans has been the latest of the new arrivals on Marquis Leisure’s forecourts, has acquired a majority stake in Auto-Sleepers International (ASI). That’s the company that ultimately owns both Marquis Leisure and the Auto-Sleepers motorhome brand.

No details of the sum the Trigano Group has paid in this transaction have been given.

Geoff Scott and Mike Crouch, who brought Marquis Leisure and Auto-Sleepers together to form ASI, will keep their roles as directors, and will continue to have a stake in the company, moving forward.

European opportunities

This is major news for British caravannners, as Marquis Leisure, with 11 dealerships across the length and breadth of the UK, is the country’s biggest leisure vehicle dealer network.

It is being bought by the French Trigano Group, which has a turnover of £1.3bn and already boasts a multi-national portfolio of caravan and motorhome brands.

It’s probably no coincidence that, for the 2017 season, Marquis Leisure began to exclusively sell Trigano’s Caravelair Antarès models in the UK. British caravanners might also be familiar with the group’s Silver and Mini Silver ranges of folding caravans.

In the motorhome industry, Trigano has a much stronger presence. For example, it already owns well-known marques including Auto-Trail, Chausson, Benimar, Roller Team and Mobilvetta.

ASI says this latest move is a positive new chapter for the company, as it will create synergies in purchasing and finance.

Mr Crouch added that it will be exciting to explore potential new opportunities as part of a much larger group.

We’ll be sure to update this story if we get any further news.