Saturday, November 2, 2024

Louisiana RV dealer remaining independent after Camping World deal didn’t happen

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A local RV dealership said it is remaining independent after an announced acquisition by Camping World did not happen.

Brian and Greg Bent, the co-founders of Bent’s RV, said in a news release the lots in Albany and Boutte will remain family-owned.

“Our customers and employees made it loud and clear that Bent’s RV needed to remain a locally owned business,” the release said. Bent’s plans to invest more in training, so employees can take better care of their customers.

Bent’s RV was founded in 2002 to serve RV customers in the New Orleans area. The family also operates Bent Marine, which has boat dealerships in Metairie and Madisonville.

The Bent’s deal is one of three acquisitions Camping World announced in early January that are not happening. Camping World also said it had plans to acquire two other businesses: Genuine RV, which has three locations in Texas and Oklahoma, and Roth RV, which has three lots in Minnesota.

Representatives at Genuine RV and Roth RV said that, like Bent’s, they are remaining independent.

Illinois-based Camping World has RV dealerships in Breaux Bridge and Bossier City.

RV sales boomed in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, as more people retired and hit the open road. According to the RV Industry Association wholesale deliveries set a record of 64,454 in March 2022. But sales dipped off when the Federal Reserve started a series of interest rate hikes to get inflation under control. Within a year, monthly shipments dropped by more than half, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Camping World reported a 12.4% revenue drop in the first quarter, compared to a year earlier, and analysts are expecting the company will post a 1.9% dip when it announces second quarter earnings Wednesday.

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