Camping and Caravanning Club
Financial Plan
Liquid capital
The amount you need to secure the necessary loans.
Total investment
Total Investment to launch the business, including initial fees (Not disclosed)
The Concept
A campsite franchise under the UK's oldest camping club
Wigwam Holidays is a glamping network built on timber cabins placed on rural land owned by its franchisees. The brand launched in 2000, but the cabin dates back further. According to the company’s history page, Charles Gulland, its founder and chief executive, designed his first sustainable cabin at Hooke Park College in Dorset in 1989, then founded the cabin builder All Round Buildings in 1992. The first Wigwam cabin was developed to provide low-cost accommodation on the West Highland Way.
The company describes the network as more than 80 rural sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That count covers every site bookable on wigwamholidays.com. Since the brand added a listing programme for independent glamping owners, it no longer equals the number of franchisees, and the split is not published.
Landowners buy the cabins, the brand sells the stays
The franchise is aimed at landowners, farmers in particular. The franchisee buys cabins built to a Wigwam specification and runs the site day to day. Wigwam Holidays manages listings, booking rules and pricing across sales channels, and takes a single commission on every booking, whichever channel it comes through. The franchise site describes this flat-commission structure as a new model, without dating the change.
Recruitment runs in stages: an online meeting, a site visit, a feasibility assessment covering planning and projected cash flow, a planning application, a weekend on an established site and a second meeting. The franchise offer itself is made only once planning permission has been granted. The franchisor asks for road access, power and water connections, drainage and a quiet rural setting, with room for at least one cabin.
Owners who want to keep their own accommodation can instead list a site through a separate partner programme. That is a booking and management service, not a franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Camping and Caravanning Club franchise cost?
The Club does not publish the initial fee or the total investment. Applicants must hold a minimum of £ 400,000 in disposable assets, and on accepting a formal offer, they pay a £10,000 deposit, which is deducted from the initial fee when the franchise agreement is signed. The main cost is the site itself, which the franchisee either already owns or buys.
Do you need to own a campsite to become a Camping and Caravanning Club franchisee?
No. The scheme is open to existing site and land owners and to newcomers who plan to buy a site. For newcomers, the Club states that it works with them to identify suitable sites for acquisition. An existing site is first evaluated to check that it fits the Club’s network.
What size of site does a Camping and Caravanning Club franchise need?
A franchised site must have at least 60 pitches on more than five acres of land, according to the Club’s franchise page.
How long is a Camping and Caravanning Club franchise agreement?
The initial term is ten years, and every franchisee has the right to renew for a further ten years at the end of it.
How do you become a Camping and Caravanning Club franchisee?
Applicants send a form with a personal statement and a financial statement. Those shortlisted attend a Discovery Day at the Club’s headquarters in Coventry, followed by a day on an existing franchised site, a DBS check, a credit check, an online personality profile, two references per applicant, a home visit and a final meeting. A formal offer follows only if both sides agree to proceed.
What support does the Club give its franchisees?
Franchised sites are listed on the Club’s website and in its SiteSeeker directory, and bookings are taken through the Club’s service centre and online, including when a site is closed. The Club also runs a training programme for new franchisees, combining theory, practical sessions and on-site coaching.
Is the Camping and Caravanning Club a member of the BFA?
The Club’s franchise page states that it is a full member of the British Franchise Association and supports its code of ethics. The page does not date that membership.
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