Buyer found for Lunar Caravans

A buyer has been found for Preston-based Lunar Caravans, which manufacturers motorhomes and campervans as well as caravans.

The company was put into administration in July and went under the control of FRP Advisory. The administrator said Lunar had “faced severe cashflow issues in recent months following a period of challenging trading conditions resulting in the administration appointment. All production, including the 2020 models, was suspended prior to the appointment.”

As a result, fears were growing that a buyer would not be found for the manufacturer, which would result in the closure of the factory and mark the end of Lunar, which has been part of the British leisure vehicle industry for 50 years.

However, according to Joint Administrator, David Acland, a buyer has now been found but its name has not been revealed. “The joint administrators have provisionally accepted an offer for the business and assets of Lunar Caravans Ltd and hope to be able to confirm this deal in the coming days,” he confirmed.

Despite the positive news, all of Lunar’s production staff have already been made redundant and all manufacturing at its factory has ceased.

“We are now approaching the planned summer shutdown and without funds to continue we have sadly had to make 124 redundancies,” said David.

Lunar was created in 1969 – the year of the first manned Lunar landing – and had produced caravans and, periodically, motorhomes from its Preston base until last month.

The company was an early entrant into the motorhome sector, launching its first model on a Mercedes-Benz base in the mid-1970s. But it became better known for its lightweight caravans and built a solid reputation in that area rather than in motorhomes.

It returned to the motorhome market six years ago with the launch of a compact campervan – the Vacanza Camping Car. This diminutive camper, based on the Nissan NV200, was still built by Lunar and sold in Europe, although Lunar soon turned its attention to making larger coachbuilt motorhomes and van conversions. 

In 2014, it launched a new van conversion based on the Mercedes Sprinter. This rear lounge Landstar was joined by a rear washroom layout later the same year.

Then, in 2016, Lunar started making its own coachbuilt motorhomes under the Telstar and Roadstar names.

It then rationalised its range, offering Landstar van conversions and Roadstar coachbuilts.

Last year it entered a short-lived partnership with Wellhouse to produce smaller campervans.

Lunar dealers will continue to sell models they have in stock, but there will be no new-season Lunar models. It is unclear at this stage whether owners who have warranty issues with their Lunar models will have those warranty claims respected.