Alistair Houghton meets ROD TUCKER, chief executive of Haulfryn Group

WHETHER being mocked by comedians or blown up on Top Gear, British caravans and holiday homes are perennial subjects for mirth – and the US-style trailer park remains a comedic staple.

But, as Rod Tucker is keen to point out, the caravan and holiday home industry is a serious business, worth more than £3bn annually to the UK economy.

Tucker is chief executive of Chester’s Haulfryn Group, a £50m turnover business which owns upmarket holiday and residential home parks in North Wales and the South and South West of England.

A business like Haulfryn, he says, has moved far away from the stereotypes of static caravans and mobile homes and instead has won a loyal customer base, thanks to its commitment to investing in its parks and providing quality facilities. It is continuing its investment programme despite the current tough economic conditions.

Its holiday parks are largely occupied by owner-occupiers, while its residential parks are popular with retired people.

Haulfryn’s flagship park is the 550-unit The Warren at Abersoch, on the Lleyn Peninsula, which was founded in 1948 and has been popular with generations of holidaymakers from the North West and further afield.

Its seafront units are in great demand, with many residents having their own boats – and the sale price of one of those homes hit the front page of the Daily Post’s sister North Wales newspaper last year.

“At the back end of last year we sold one of those for £500,000,” said Tucker, with an understandable smile. “It was reported in the US as the first “million-dollar” trailer.

“The holiday sector has changed because it used to be about very basic facilities on parks, but now it’s gone a long way upmarket. We’ve responded to customer demand and they want facilities like indoor pools and gyms.