A SCOTTISH campervan conversion firm attracted more than 40 per cent of its typical annual orders in September alone, it has revealed, with its order book now guaranteeing work for the next 11 months.
On the back of the buoyant demand, North Berwick-based Jerba Campervans said it had pre-ordered more than 40 new base vehicles from Volkswagen ahead of the UK’s exit from the European single market on December 31 to “ease any possibility of a tariff or transport disruption should there be a no-deal Brexit”.
The employee-owned Jerba finds itself with a full production schedule until November 2021 as a result of a boom in demand for staycations amid the coronavirus crisis, with co-founder Simon Poole also flagging the looming deadline for the UK’s exit from the single market.
He flagged the importance of the orders “cushion” as the firm entered what he said was likely for many businesses to be a “difficult and uncertain period” arising from Brexit.
The UK technically left the EU on January 31 but has been able to remain a member of the single market until December 31 because of the transition period.
With little more than two weeks to go until the year-end, the UK remains in negotiations over a future free trade deal with the European Union, amid elevated fears of a no-deal departure.
Mr Poole said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure Jerba Campervans transitions into Brexit as smoothly as possible.
“Having orders scheduled well into next year will provide a welcome cushion as we steer into what looks set to be a difficult and uncertain period for a lot of businesses.”
He added: “With the emergence of a staycation boom due to the Covid pandemic and the looming Brexit deadline we have seen a record autumn in customers pre-ordering their VW campervans.
“What this will enable us to [do] is pre-order our parts from our VW suppliers on the Continent. Despite trepidations in the evolving market we are delighted to have set a new record for orders.”
Jerba Campervans’ cabinet-makers and mechanics customise the Volkswagen vehicles to customers’ needs. The Scottish firm, which employs 13 people, offers five different conversions of both the short wheel-base and long wheel-base Volkswagen T6.1 transporter van. Jerba is recognised as a converter by the German vehicle manufacturer.
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