lennie1 Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 On reading CT I notice that Bailey Caravans have 4755 topics and Swift Caravans have 2081, I just wonder if Bailey caravans have more problems than Swift, or are Bailey owners more discerning and demand a five star product. Alternatively do Baileys sell over twice as many caravans as Swift group. I have searched for the answer to this but cannot find any website. Ideas welcome. Lennie Quote Nissan X-Trail Kia Sorento, Pegasus 2 Rimini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWanderingLancastrian Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi Lennie. A very very interesting question. There is however one other UK volume producer. Production numbers are not really the benchmark that determines their place in the market,unless of course you are looking to determine how low down the quality scale they are. It is the ratio or percentage of complaints about individual numbers of caravans produced and this can and should be further subdivided into complaints per each caravan. A hypothetical production level of 10,000 units and only 100 caravans being complained about is a relatively small number at 1% of total production. From the other side of the coin,10,000 units produced and 100 vans with 10 issues per caravan is a totally different dynamic. If the hypothetical issues were all of the same nature then that would surely indicated a product/products failures/failings. It could even be as a result of one area of poor product build quality. Quote Life in general can be a journey of chance with some winners and sadly some losers. Your outfit can never be left to chance. A short-while carrying out essential checks can ensure a long-time of happy & safe caravanning for all concerned. Ignorance can often be bliss but is certainly not an excuse and when continually disregarded they can be totally disastrous for oneself and the innocent parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 swift by volume all types geoff Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdman101 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Swift are the larger producer and also have there own members forum, where you can contact them direct so that is probably why lesser posts on here. Quote Swift Archway Ruby. Santa Fe Auto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 On reading CT I notice that Bailey Caravans have 4755 topics and Swift Caravans have 2081, I just wonder if Bailey caravans have more problems than Swift, or are Bailey owners more discerning and demand a five star product. Alternatively do Baileys sell over twice as many caravans as Swift group. I have searched for the answer to this but cannot find any website. Ideas welcome. Lennie The only publicly available information that I can find are the graphs produced by the NCC based on returns from their members. The NCC website also indicates that the figures represent 98% of the total deliveries to the UK market. Bailey claim on their website that they have approximately one third of the market by brand. Taking the delivery figure of 20,400 for 2012 from the NCC graph would indicate that Bailey sold and delivered 6800 touring caravans to the UK market. The Swift group produces three brands but I cannot find any figures to indicate how many caravans are sold through their brand range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Grouse Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 A local dealer has switched from Lunar to Swift - specifically because Swift have 40% of the market and Lunar only 10% - so since Coachman, Elddis and others are taking a % then Bailey can't be as high as 40%. Quote 2015 VW Touareg 3. 0 V6 TDI + 2013 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A11 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Bailey and Swift used to interact with owners on the forums. Swift decided to go their own way, and set up their own forum. Naturally, that's mostly where swift owners go. Bailey continued here, and were offering decent advice. But things got a bit out of hand. After a number of owners got pretty aggressive with Bailey on here, they simply stopped posting. I'm not saying that all of those owners didn't have legitimate grievances. But bandwagons started to develop, and I was surprised Bailey stuck it out as long as they did. Its not all negative - Some suggestions from here did make it to the Unicorn 2 - including a dent resistant shell, lower MIROs, lower noseweights (and the gas bottles over the axle), a better way of carrying spare wheels, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbilly Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I always assumed that Swift produced more units than Bailey although Bailey produced more tourers and the Swift have a sizable section of the static market. We have always bought Swift brand although I must admit I got a bit worried about the recently announced management 'buy out' at Swift and the effect that this might have had on my warranties on my 2013 Sterling. About this time there were some balance sheet figures publicised that showed that Bailey were a much more profitable organisation which might have explained the buy out. As stated a lot of Swift owners do use their our forum where they get personal answers from some Swift staff and suppliers. Not that I spend my time counting caravans, honest, but I ran a rally back in September and of the first 11 vans to arrive 9 were Baileys and 7 of these Unicorns ! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryB Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 When I went on a tour of the Bailey factory in July 2012 we were told that Bailey were producing vans at the rate of 7500 per year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamdrivenandy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ah but is 7500 the theoretical capacity of the factory rather than the actual number produced. That will vary every year and depends on all sorts of factors like demand for current range, state of the economy, etc. Generally when demand drops overall the percentage of the market for each maker stays the same, unless there's an outstanding issue such as factory closure or a sudden enormously popular new model. The Swiftalk effect can be seen in the caravan review section where Bailey have 40 odd and all the Swift brands under 10. Given that Swift Group are the biggest UK maker you'd normally expect Swift to have the same or marginally more reviews. Quote I've got nothing to do on this hot afternoon but to settle down and write you a line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A11 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) The NCC have the figures, but don't routinely produce them. Just now and again, the manufacturers will release a press release after one of the major shows. I have the figure of 7,500 to 8,000 a year for Bailey. Don't know about swift - they also sell lots of statics and motorhomes, so appear to have a higher turnover. The total market size in 2012 was 20,000 tourers according to the NCC, down from 33,000 in 2007 before the financial crash. http://www. thencc. org. uk/downloads/2000-2012_UK_TC_home_dispatches_web_final. pdf Edited January 3, 2014 by A11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The Swift group manufactures three brands of caravan. The brands are Swift Caravans, Sterling Caravans and Sprite Caravans. The Bailey company manufactures only one brand of touring caravan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The NCC have the figures, but don't routinely produce them. Just now and again, the manufacturers will release a press release after one of the major shows. I have the figure of 7,500 to 8,000 a year for Bailey. Don't know about swift - they also sell lots of statics and motorhomes, so appear to have a higher turnover. The total market size in 2012 was 20,000 tourers according to the NCC, down from 33,000 in 2007 before the financial crash. http://www. thencc. org. uk/downloads/2000-2012_UK_TC_home_dispatches_web_final. pdf From HenryB's and SDA's posts the Bailey figure would appear to be the potential production. The delivered figure seems to be closer to 6800 as I indicated in my previous post using the same graph and Bailey's one third claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian16527 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 When putting my van away, a look round the storage area, a rough figure for vans under 5 years: 1- Swift Group 2- Bailey 3 - Elddis which is what you would expect based on the info further up the thread Over 5 years to 10 years, swift and Bailey seem around equal and over 10 years, alot of Elddis. The star of the show last week, a brand new Eterniti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamdrivenandy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I was wondering if I should ask the local dealerships what percentage of their new sales each brand accounted for. North Staffs only sell Bailey and Swift as new vans and Leisure Sales have sold Bailey and Lunar for years but only relatively recently dropped Coachman and added Swift instead. a percentage breakdown shouldn't harm their confidentiality issues. Quote I've got nothing to do on this hot afternoon but to settle down and write you a line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caravantech Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Swift and Bailey share approx 60% of the market share in the industry, the rest being made up by the other manufactures as for actual numbers, I honestly couldn't tell you, I don't know if they "officially" release unit numbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Swift are the larger producer and also have there own members forum, where you can contact them direct so that is probably why lesser posts on here. You see the same people often asking/ answering the same question on here, T&T and Swift Forums. ...................I know I lurk on them all. ...... geoff Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWanderingLancastrian Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hi again to you all out there. A very interesting question as I have already stated in post #2 BUT BUT BUT. A far more interesting question would be, which caravan manufacturer gets the highest number of complaints against the number of products that it produces? That of course can be presented in several ways,it can be simply a number against a number that have been produced,or it can be presented as a percentage of the numbers produced. I bet the NCC doesn't hold any statistics for that kind of very guarded information let alone it being held on record,anywhere for the caravan buying public access. Quote Life in general can be a journey of chance with some winners and sadly some losers. Your outfit can never be left to chance. A short-while carrying out essential checks can ensure a long-time of happy & safe caravanning for all concerned. Ignorance can often be bliss but is certainly not an excuse and when continually disregarded they can be totally disastrous for oneself and the innocent parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamD Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 A far more interesting question would be, which caravan manufacturer gets the highest number of complaints against the number of products that it produces? Hi there Roo. Sorry but even that would not necessarily give you a true picture. Some manufacturers correctly recognise the importance of complaints in order to improve their products whereas others treat a complaint as a moan and, even further, many complaints, I suspect, are down to the ineptitude of the dealers. Minefield. Quote Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A11 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 . ..A far more interesting question would be, which caravan manufacturer gets the highest number of complaints against the number of products that it produces?... I think that's half of it, the other half is how good they are at approving/fixing the issues. My dealer tells me that some manufacturers approve almost all claims, without drama, whereas others are much more of a problem. I'd started looking at Elddis, then heard about a small number of caravans with creases in the sidewall. I'd have taken that in my stride, but some owners seem to be given a terrible time getting them fixed. I'm unlikely to buy now - not because I think there is a major chance of my new caravan going wrong, but because I'd be worried whether the manufacturer would stand behind it. As Henry Ford said. a failure rate of 1% is only one in a hundred for the manufacturer, but for the poor customer concerned, it is a 100% failure rate. When putting my van away, a look round the storage area, a rough figure for vans under 5 years: 1- Swift Group 2- Bailey 3 - Elddis which is what you would expect based on the info further up the thread Over 5 years to 10 years, swift and Bailey seem around equal and over 10 years, alot of Elddis. The star of the show last week, a brand new Eterniti Mine is about 80% Bailey - but that's because the local dealer sent lots of customers their way! The dealer switched to swift a couple of years ago, and the balance is starting to change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 . ............it is just like cars, if you have a good local Kia dealer then there are loads of Sorento/ Sportages etc. ... Some areas have strong Swift connections and you will see loads more there. ........historically the North East had loads and loads of Compass & Elddis owners and you often didn't find them in the South East. ...... So comparisons are really worthless, own websites or not. geoff Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolebob Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Reading these posts seems to suggest that Bailey and the Swift group both sell around 6500 touring vans per year. As far as brands go, Bailey is the biggest because every van they sell is a Bailey. Difficult to say which brand is next as both Swift and Elddiss not only have several brands of their own but they also make dealers specials. Swift Group would appear to be the biggest company since they make more motorhomes than Bailey and also make statics. A company search would give the answers. poolebob Quote Honda CRV Diesel Petrol & No caravan now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Swift website used to state they are are the largest UK Manufacturers. ...but website was redesigned following MBO last year I think. eoff Edited January 3, 2014 by shipbroker Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWanderingLancastrian Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Hi to both Sam & Tigger. I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that a successful outcome can rest entirely with the supplying dealer or even a dealer that has been elected/selected to act on ones behalf. I have no illusions about dealers and their abilities or inabilities to meet their respective accounts with the manufacturers. In my trade many business's would fail to deliver and blame it on the supplier of the materials,the truth of the matter was that the supplier had frozen or completely removed their account facilities. No materials, no promised schedule adhered to. Quote Life in general can be a journey of chance with some winners and sadly some losers. Your outfit can never be left to chance. A short-while carrying out essential checks can ensure a long-time of happy & safe caravanning for all concerned. Ignorance can often be bliss but is certainly not an excuse and when continually disregarded they can be totally disastrous for oneself and the innocent parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A11 Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 . ..I have no illusions about dealers and their abilities or inabilities to meet their respective accounts with the manufacturers. In my trade many business's would fail to deliver and blame it on the supplier of the materials. .. Oh yes, I'm sure that is true. And of course its not just with the manufacturers, but also with the suppliers of all the other pieces which make up a caravan - windows, toilets, water pumps etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.