THE boom in “staycations” has led a Dorset company to open a specialist business fitting gadgetry to motorhomes.
Motorhome Retrofits installs luxuries such as Wi-Fi, audio-visual equipment, 360-degree parking cameras, navigation and security systems.
Sales of motorhomes have rocketed during the pandemic and the company says owners spending tens of thousands of pounds often want their motorhomes improved.
James Harris, who founded Advanced In-Car Technologies in 2003, said he set up the new venture after being inundated with requests to retrofit motorhomes.
The company bought a new unit on Brixey Business Park in Fancy Road, Poole, opposite its existing business, and launched Motorhome Retrofits.
Mr Harris said: “We have more than 20,000 YouTube followers and hundreds of five star reviews.
“Last year after the first lockdown we worked tirelessly to catch up and then we kept being asked whether we could upgrade motorhomes. There was clearly a growing market so we decided to launch a specialist business in a dedicated building.
“People can spend well over £100,000 on a motorhome which don’t always come with modern technology and there are other extras that people want.
“Those new to motorhomes often request 360-degree cameras which help give them confidence to drive – and all the footage is recorded.
“Safety is extremely important as repairs to bodywork can be expensive.
“We also install navigation systems with up-to-date maps that include height, length and width details. Many owners also want bigger navigation display screens.
“We fit Wi-Fi because owners want to be able to do on the road what they do at home, and security is a big deal with the value of goods inside so we provide reassurance with top systems,” he added.
“Demand is so great that we’ve had owners from France and Portugal come to us for a retrofit – and one client wanted us to fly two engineers to the US to do a job.”
Last July, the National Caravan Council reported that registrations of motorhomes and campervans were up 71 per cent on the same time the previous year.
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