Bailey of Bristol – 75 years and counting…
Founded in 1948 Bailey is the longest established UK caravan and motorhome manufacturer with seventy-five years’ experience in leisure vehicle production and design. During this period, it has grown to become not only the UK’s favourite caravan brand, accounting for approximately one in three new caravan sales, but also one of the largest producers in Europe. More recently, in 2011, the company brought this same level of expertise to the motorhome market as well as expanding into new export markets as far afield as New Zealand and South Korea.
The first Bailey caravan was built by Martin Bailey in his garage in South Bristol in 1947 and was subsequently sold at Ashton Gate market for the sum of £200. A year later F G Bailey Ltd was formed and went into production. The company developed rapidly throughout the 1950’s eventually outgrowing its original site and moving to its present address at South Liberty Lane in 1960. In 1977 the company was purchased by Patrick and Stephen Howard and Bailey Caravans Ltd as it is now known has remained in Howard family ownership ever since.
In 2010 the company introduced the ground-breaking Alu-Tech body shell construction system. Providing genuine design innovation, this fully patented technology, creates caravans and motorhomes which are more robust, more durable, and yet lighter than those manufactured using conventional methods to provide owners with greater protection against the elements to keep them comfortable, safe and secure all year round. To date over 75,000 Bailey leisure vehicles have been built been made using this high-performance technology and are currently being used around the world.
Today Bailey employs over 500 local people across its three sites in Bristol and currently manufactures 6,000 touring caravans and coach built motorhomes per year to generate a group annual turnover of more than £130 million.
The key to Bailey’s seventy-five-year success story has been the people who work here. With the business now a well-established part of the South Bristol community the majority of our employees live close by and have been with us for a long time (average length of service is 10 years). Consequently, collectively, they possess the necessary skill, experience and enthusiasm to successfully manufacture a constantly evolving line up of market-leading leisure vehicles to keep the company moving forward. In response Bailey significantly upgraded its remuneration and benefits package (becoming a Real Living Wage Employer in the process) as well as a clear path for career progression to ensure it continues to retain and attract talented people.
After having safely negotiated the most challenging two-year period in the Company’s history, during the recent COVID pandemic, there are exciting times ahead at Bailey as it looks to expand into more leisure vehicle market sectors both home and abroad. Incorporated into these plans are a series of new corporate responsibility goals which will also see the company taking further positive action, such as its on-going support for the Woodland Trust’s Woodland Carbon scheme, to help safeguard the environment for the future.
Commenting on reaching this major milestone Bailey Managing Director, Nick Howard said:
“We are tremendously proud to be the UK’s longest established leisure vehicle manufacturer and would like to thank everybody in the extended ‘Bailey Family,’ which includes our customers, retailers, supplier partners and of course our employees, for the part they have played in making us the Nation’s Favourite leisure vehicle brand”.
To find our more about Bailey’s history and heritage, go to:
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