Hull-based holiday home manufacturer Willerby has taken a glimpse of the getaway lifestyle to London’s bustling streets.
A high profile showcase has been given to the market leading company’s designs, as escapes from capital to coast and country were impressed on commuters, with benefits of holiday home ownership underscored.
Willerby teamed up with Park Holidays UK to hold the special event in the city, taking two of its most popular homes, a 40ft x 20ft, two-bedroom Mapleton and a 38ft x 12 ft two-bedroom Gainsborough, pitching them on a high-footfall site at Southbank Centre Square. Close to Waterloo Station, Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridge, it was a three day stay with plenty of marketing activity for the firm, buoyed by a record year that saw sales of £217 million recorded last month.
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Peter Munk, chief executive, said: “Staycations and holiday home ownership have been incredibly popular for many years, but there’s still relatively low ownership in London.
“People in London enjoy easy access to beautiful areas along the south coast, as well as to so many stunning holiday parks in the south of England. These locations are often no more than a two-hour drive. Despite this, there’s still a lack of awareness of these fantastic parks and also of the quality of contemporary holiday homes.
“That’s why we wanted to come to London to meet people living and working in the capital and give them the chance to see what they’re missing out on.”
A first event of its kind, Mr Munk also carried out a series of interviews with London-based journalists to further spread the word. “Many of the members of the public we spoke to still thought of holiday homes as not being of a particularly high quality, so they were blown away to see how we’ve taken them to a completely different level,” he said. “Our models really have that ‘wow’ factor.
“We talked to a lot of people about the space and security the holiday homes lifestyle offers, which is something so many Londoners crave. People live very busy lives, especially in
London, and we can offer them an escape from all of that, which is really important for mental health and wellbeing.
“Holiday home ownership also offers an opportunity to spend quality time with family. We often see three generations holidaying together.
“Hopefully, we’ve opened a few eyes to the many benefits of being able to escape to your own stunning holiday home at a beautiful park not far from where you live.”
Park Holidays UK has invested significantly over recent years in its 57 UK parks, many of which are located in what are described as desirable coastal and countryside areas across the South and South East.
Rachel Conaghan, head of holiday home sales marketing at Park Holidays UK, said: “It was great to team up with Willerby to promote holiday home ownership to Londoners and dispel some of the myths that still exist. The partnership worked very well in showcasing the quality of accommodation, location and experience a park holiday offers.
“Visitors to the event were amazed by Willerby’s state-of-the-art holiday homes, which are a world away from the preconceptions many of them had.
“We were also able to show them the many beautiful locations in the South and South East where we’ve invested in our parks to offer amazing holidays and short breaks within just a couple of hours of London.”
