The RV Industry is Moving Uptown
February 23, 2005
Grand Re-Opening of Lazydays® Sets Its Sites on Affluent Baby Boomers
Tampa, Fla. – From cafeteria to Italian outdoor cafe, from carpet to new hardwood floors, from instant coffee to Starbucks, from posters to custom-framed artwork, the RV industry is moving in a different direction. It’s moving uptown!
The Grand Re-Opening of Lazydays® RV, the world’s largest single-site recreational vehicle (“RV”) dealer, marks the era of the “new RV dealership” with its latest upscale and state-of-the-art amenities. With the company mission of “Making Customers for Life,” Lazydays® hosts their dealership Grand Re-Opening on March 8 - 9, 2005, the culmination of spectacular renovations and dealership expansion that takes customer service to even greater heights. The newly renovated and expanded areas represent in excess of a $3 million dollar investment in destination amenities that will serve all Lazydays® RV customers and guests both now and well into the future.
“RV’s are very much a part of the popular culture right now because of the huge wave of retiring baby boomers,” said Stewart Schaffer, Chief Marketing Officer of Lazydays. “This important market segment has the means, motive and opportunity to start thinking about other things in life, aside from work and raising kids. Many have the freedom to travel the open road and the desire to see this great country, which requires that we focus a lot more attention on these folks.” The market for RV’s is growing at a rate of close to 15 percent each year with more and more baby boomers becoming RV owners. Recently, the RV SuperCenter® reported sales of over $795 million for 2004.
For photographs of the dealership expansion and renovations, visit: http://extranet.schifinolee.com/lazy032_grand_reopen/index.html
THE BEST OF THE BEST. Lazydays® RV sets itself apart with their latest renovations as a truly world class and one-of-a-kind destination in the RV industry. Not only are they the first RV dealership in the country to have a Starbucks coffee bar, but they are also the first to provide professional fulltime concierge services to their customers. These improvements are indicative of its emphasis on treating their customers with the best of the best. Renovations and improvements include:
• Main dealership building expanded to 86,625 sq. ft. including 8,600 sq. ft. of new construction and 50,400 sq. ft. of renovated or remodeled space
• Customer Service Pavilion with a 6,600 sq. ft. luxuriously appointed customer lounge
• Customer lounge includes: professional concierge station, Starbucks coffee bar, flat screen TV’s, and 10 uniquely styled seating areas
• Learning Center with 170 seats for customer seminars and employee training.
• New offices for over 45 customer service personnel responsible for service and delivery operations
• New offices for five full-time manufacturer representatives
• New executive board room that seats 22
• 160 newly renovated sales offices in the sales
department
• Lazydays® Café to replace Festival Hall which will serve 300,000 complimentary meals to customers and guests per year
“Approximately 19,400 sq. ft. of the project represents expansion and improvement of the customer service area in addition to a complete redecoration of The Café and sales department totaling approximately 39,600 sq. ft.,” said Schaffer. According to Schaffer, when the project was completed a total of 59,000 sq. ft. of the dealership’s main building was either expanded, remodeled or redecorated from one end to the other. The project began in June of 2004 and was completed in February 2005.
To assist with this major renovation and expansion project, Lazydays® enlisted the expertise of Studio M Interior Design, Inc., a professional design firm in downtown Tampa. For the past 13 years, Michelle Jennings Wiebe has been the owner of Studio M and has worked on a variety of large projects. In fact, she was the principal designer for Lazydays’ CrownClub® addition last March.
“The goal for the new customer service area was to achieve the look and feel of a high-end destination hotel or resort rather than your typical RV waiting area,” said Wiebe. With a spa-like resort theme, she and Lisa Clark, co-designer on the project, utilized an eclectic mix of colors, furniture and artwork to exude an airy, bright, natural and relaxing atmosphere. The new service area has light maple wood flooring with vinyl finish throughout, grass-cloth wall coverings for texture, woven rattan furniture with traditional woods and contemporary light fixtures with silver and pewter accents for a sleek, clean feel.
“Lazydays® is all about providing an enjoyable experience for their guests. So, we created different vignettes throughout the waiting area, with each section serving a different purpose or activity for the guests,” explained Wiebe. Throughout the 6,600-sq. ft. service area, there are specific areas designed for watching television, reading, internet access for laptops in “laptop chairs”, tables for gaming and even a small bistro area near the Starbucks coffee bar.
Finally, the greatest challenge for Studio M Interior Design was the renovation of the dining area, formerly called Festival Hall. With a capacity to seat 200 people, their goal was to achieve the look and feel of an Italian outdoor café. This was achieved by infusing the architectural elements of both Tuscan and Charleston courtyards. Such elements include: stone columns, awnings, a simulated sidewalk with balustrade, slate and stone vinyl floors as well as a fountain with European style landscaping. The tables are made out of “stone impressions” on black iron bases. “The Café” (its new name) has the ambiance of a European outdoor café and garden. “It is much like one you would find at a luxury resort or hotel,” said Wiebe. Complimentary breakfast and lunch are served six days a week.
Almost one year to the date, Lazydays® introduced the luxurious CrownClub®, the only club of its kind in North America to provide exclusive services and an array of amenities to owners of luxury RVs. Now, with that same commitment to excellence, Lazydays® continues to exceed all expectations with their latest expansion and renovation. Lazydays® is changing the blueprint of the RV industry with their level of unparalleled amenities and service – nowhere in the RV industry can you find a Starbucks coffee bar along with sleek, interior design and professional concierge services all in one room. Now you can.
ABOUT LAZYDAYS: Lazydays® RV SuperCenter®, founded in 1976, is the largest RV dealership in the world. Located on 140 acres outside Tampa, Florida, Lazydays® has an 86,600 sq. ft. main building, 273 service bays, 300 RV campsites and more than 1,200 RVs on display. The property also has a 40,000 sq. ft. Camping World store, a Cracker Barrel Restaurant and a Flying J RV Travel Plaza. Lazydays® sales exceeded $795 million in 2004 and the complex will host more than one million visitors and serve more than 300,000 meals this year alone. For more information on Lazydays: http://www.lazydays.com or call Stewart Schaffer at 813-246-4333.
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For Media Information:
Katherine Han
813 258 5858, ext. 27
katherine@schifinolee.com |
