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TOP TEAM FOREST HOLIDAYS


Sherwood Forest and the Forest of Dean have been launched in the last couple of years, we’re now on site at Blackwood Forest in Hampshire and we want to do more of the same.


Why did you split from the Forest Camping business? Camping is high volume and small ticket, and cabins are the opposite. Forest Holidays Camping is a mature business, which didn’t need much more investment, whereas the cabin business needs a lot more investment to fulfil its potential. It’s a rising star. The Camping and Caravanning Club are very experienced at running camp- sites, so it was a natural split.


How has the company performed over the last few years? It’s just incredible. We open sites to 95 per cent occupancy. Across all seven sites, we averaged 95 per cent occupancy in 2011/12, 365 days a year. We’re actually looking to take it down to about 90 per cent occupancy, because of the pressure it puts on the cabins and the maintenance. Of our customers, 97.1 per cent say they will come back. As part of the investment, we had an external company interview with 2,500 of our


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Forest Rangers run a range of activities, from outdoor survival courses to night-time excursions


customers. The company carrying out the interview couldn’t find anyone who didn’t like us, and had to add a cat- egory 'we absolutely love you'. They were amazed. We were two points behind Apple in our customer net serv- ice scores. We’re proud of that and we work hard at it. We’re small, personal and give a great service.


What trends have contributed to Forest Holidays' success? The European challenges and exchange rate has boosted the staycation market. We’re riding trends of web bookings, more short breaks (average stays are three to four days), interest in green issues and healthy lifestyles, slow-paced holidays and people wanting to spend time together as a couple or a family. Our customers enjoy autumn and winter as much as summer.


What activities are offered on site? When we were setting up we were told that if you want a year-round busi- ness you need a swimming pool, a bar and restaurants. We’ve worked really


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hard with the Forestry Commission to build a business model and product that works in today’s market. It’s the antithesis of big, crass developments. The sites only have 60 or 70 cabins and the Retreat grocery store, which sells a few groceries, hot and cold snacks and on tap beer and wine. One of our unique offerings is our Ranger service, offering bat walks and forest explorations, and we also have partnerships with local companies, including rock climbing and canoeing companies. One of our strong points with planners is spend in the commu- nity. Local pubs and businesses benefit enormously from Forest Holidays. We have started serving some food on a Friday evening, for people when they arrive late, which has been popu- lar. Also, we’ve started spa treatments in cabins this year, using a national company with local people.


What’s your vision for the next few years? In the next three to five years we’ll have another five sites, and, longer term, a further seven sites. There has been a lot of research on what the UK market can withstand, looking at our customers and their profiles. We’re just scratching the surface. l


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