South Africa’s oldest and most well-known caravan brands have a new owner.
Jurie Pienaar, co-owner of Quantum Leisure caravans, announced that Quantum Caravan World (Pty) Ltd has acquired the brands Jurgens, Gypsey, Sprite, Wilk, Tourer, XCape and Xplorer.
Shortly after the big reveal in a press release on Thursday, 9 September 2022, Jurie told CaravanSA: “There is so much value in these brand names, and it is absolutely our plan to keep the traditions and values of these brands alive.
“We want to deliver a product that is of high quality… this is really our mission.”
Read the full press release here.
In an exclusive with CaravanSA, Jurie says: “If you ask me what the reason is why I bought these brand names, it’s because deep inside me I have a passion for them.
“I grew up with them, my parents had those caravans… the Jurgens, the Gyspey, etc… it has always been in my blood.
“When things started going downhill at Jurgens, it was really sad. Even though they were technically competition for Quantum Leisure, it still felt like something inside of me was being damaged.
“So when the opportunity came to buy those brand names, we grabbed it with the ultimate goal of reviving those brands.”
WHERE TO START?
Looking at the current caravan market and how much it has changed over the past few decades, it does not seem possible to reach the kind of figures of Jurgens’ heydays. That’s why Jurie will bring back these brand names in strategic market segments, and not just race ahead without careful planning.
First on their list is Sprite, followed by Jurgens.
“The reason for this is that the Sprite will be an addition to our Quantum range,” explains Jurie.
“We want to use the Sprite as an entry-level caravan in our range. It will be a practical, quality, lightweight caravan. We’ll definitely keep to the tradition of it having a pop-top.
“It’s an opportunity for us as Quantum to have something that is entry-level. And then after someone has been in their Sprite for a few years and looking to upgrade, we can put him in a Quantum or Jurgens!”
“Regarding the other brands, Jurie and his team have not made final decisions, but they assure us they are definitely not shelving them.
“We are going to use them, probably just not in the next couple of months,” he says.
“Maybe we will look at steering something from our range in that direction. For instance, the Quantum Country might move towards a Tourer, or something like that. We are not totally sure yet… but what we are sure about is that we want to revive these brands as quickly as possible.
“We will do proper market research and plan accordingly about when to reintroduce the other ranges. I think there is definitely a market segment for each of those well-known brands. whether it’s the Gypsey or the Wilk.”
PRODUCTION
In terms of production, Jurie says they are going to expand their current operation.
“We won’t be able to launch two new ranges with our current facilities,” he explains.
“Actually, we do have enough capacity and space to start on the Sprite range, but if we move on to another range, we will have to increase the facilities.
“We already have two other plants where we have factories for our production items and assembly and canvas. Between all of these we’ll plan to extend our operations, but the longterm plan is to move to premises where we can house all the brands.”
EXISTING MARKET, REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
The Quantum Caravan World team also assures current owners of these beloved brand name caravans that they will be able to help with repairs and upkeep.
“We will do everything we can to maintain the caravans that are already on the market.
“So in terms of current Jurgens, Sprite, etc… if someone comes to us and says he needs a sidewall replaced, or whatever, we will look at it!” says Jurie.
“What I have realised is that there is trouble in parts of the secondhand market. We don’t have a trade book anymore, and there is no control over repairs – every Tom, Dick, and Harry is jumping in to do repairs and sell secondhand caravans.
“Of course, this is not referring to the reputable, authorised dealerships.
“But you know, secondhand caravans are selling for ridiculous prices! And if there is substandard work being done to these units, it’s going to cause a problem in the future.
“What I want to do is get the trade book going again, like Jurgens had in the past. There needs to be control and realistic expectations in the market.”
DEALER NETWORK
“Obviously, we will be working with various dealerships,” says Jurie, “Quantums is currently at Kempton Caravans & Leisure World, GC Caravans in Witbank, Middelburg Caravans, and Natal Caravans & Marine.
“So we’ll start through our existing dealership network, and from there expand. It’s not our intention to steal other dealerships, but if someone comes to me and says they want to do business then we’ll consider it.
“We don’t want our dealerships to be in competition with each other in the same areas, but where there is room in the market and someone approaches us, we’ll look into it.”
PAST AND FUTURE
“You know, there are actually a lot of people out there who don’t know about the trouble at Jurgens over the past couple of years,” says Jurie.
“Five or six years ago someone bought a Jurgens and they are just so happy. Now when they want to upgrade, they walk into a dealership and ask for the new Jurgens.
“For those people, it doesn’t matter what happened over the past five years; it doesn’t matter what those companies and brand names went through. They might have heard something about the recent events, but they still see the caravans around so it’s not such a big issue…
“And that’s why I think there is such value in these brands. These names are so strong that we can, and will, revive them.
“All of these brands are close to my heart, and I grew up with them. It’s part of me. And that is why we bought them when we got the opportunity.”
PRESS RELEASE from Quantum Caravan World.
Thursday, 7 September 2022
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It gives us great pleasure to announce that QUANTUM CARAVAN WORLD Pty Ltd has recently acquired the following brand names, thereby expanding our range of well-known QUANTUM caravans:
Jurgens – Gypsey – Sprite – Wilk – Tourer – XCAPE – XPLORER
Here at QCW we have a great passion for the caravan and outdoor industry. The names above carry a lot of weight in the industry. Old or new – these products have already left deep traces in the history of the caravan industry, as well as in the hearts of the South African camper.
SPRITE and GYPSEY were already registered for the first time in the fifties, after which WILK followed in the sixties. The name JURGENS celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
It is with great excitement that we can announce that the brand new JURGENS range will soon be launched by Quantum Caravan World.
We realize how much tradition there is in each of these brand names, and it is our mission to keep these names and traditions alive in the future, through innovation and practical ideas that keep up with the modern camper.
In light of this, we are looking forward to the launch of our new SPRITE range. Here, too, we want to build on the tradition of a lightweight, modern caravan that is comfortable and affordable. We are also introducing a new and exciting pop-up roof that is strong, easy to open and close, with minimal maintenance.
We realize that there are thousands of caravans out there bearing these names and although we have not built the units, we will try hard to maintain the caravans where possible by making parts and accessories available through our current and soon to be expanded dealers’ network.
It is our wish to restore these brand names to glory, joining hands with dealers and owners to keep the rich tradition alive for generations to come.