Jerba Campervans drives to record turnover with first-half reaching £1.8m
An employee-owned Scottish campervan specialist has recorded its best opening two quarters ever, with turnover from January to June reaching £1.8 million.
North Berwick-based Jerba Campervans reported a £600,000 increase against the same period last year, with founder Simon Poole attributing investments in the firm’s operations, a return to a regular supply chain following post-Covid delays and real focus by employees on improving productivity as the main reasons behind the success.
This uptake in business has enable the company to forecast record turnover of £3.8m for the full year £800,000 more than the previous record total in 2021.
Mr Poole said: “This growth reflects the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to providing high-quality, bespoke campervans to our customers.
“We have made significant improvements to our workshop which is enabling us to deliver more campervans, more often.
“We hope that this stellar first half of the year will propel us to our projected record turnover, and act as a catalyst for further growth in the years ahead.”
Jerba Campervans added an additional 200 sq metres to its production floor which has been in operation since January, enabling the firm to both diversify its customer offering into habitation checks and vehicle servicing, whilst also increasing overall campervan production by around 20%.
It has also invested in a new computer numerical cutting (CNC) machine which allows Jerba’s carpenters and technicians to cut a range of materials to highly accurate measurements, including laminated wood and vinyl flooring. Meaning specific materials can be precut to a high-quality standard, and allowing Jerba’s team to make final finishing detailed cuts and then assemble the campervans in a shorter overall timeframe.
Now, the campervan specialist has set its sights on a new partnership with automotive giant Ford. With the new Ford Transit Custom now launched Jerba are already working on new campervan designs for the vehicle and are optimistic of announcing a formal partnership with Ford by the end of this year.
After moving its staff of sixteen to a four day working week at the start of 2024, Jerba Campervans celebrated six years of employee ownership in January. The company is dedicated to promoting the employee ownership model within the local community, enhancing its reputation, and sharing its knowledge and ethos.