KZ Dealers Have High Expectations for 2012

KZ dealers are expecting a very strong sales year, based on the results of this spring’s RV shows.

Show attendance was up and sales were “very pleasantly way up,” says John Gajewski, sales manager of King’s Campers in Wausau, Wis. “We almost doubled our record attendance at our open house, which we’ve had on the same weekend for the last 16 years,” he said. “We got maybe 6,000 people coming through over four days.”

John Petrie, president of Niagara Trailers in St. Davids, Ontario, had similar experiences. “Our first show we had an 87 percent rise in unit sales over last year,” he said. The Sportsmen Classic, Spree Escape and Coyote travel trailers by KZ did very well at his dealership’s three shows, but what surprised him was how well the bigger fifth wheels were received.

“Fifth wheels are definitely popular right now, particularly the Durango and StoneRidge, and there was lots more toy hauler activity,” says Petrie. “This season what’s doing really well is KZ’s 40th anniversary units.

“Floorplans are what motivate people, and they always look for one that’s different or unique. But when a good floorplan does well, you hate to change it much. “We have lots of floorplans that have done really well for 20 years that KZ tweaked and made unique by putting in so many more options as standard. They’re very value-packed. They really stuck out.”

Both dealers found an overall increase this Spring in buyers new to RVing.

“Maybe 30 percent of our customers were new buyers, which is a very nice number,” says Gajewski. “These shows definitely show us getting a good chunk of new customers.”

“There was an increase in purchases by people who are all new to RVing, but ironically we also had more trade-ins than before,” says Petrie. “These are people who used to be into RVing and are now coming back in, which is the opposite of the last two years.”