Wigwam Holidays
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)
Average annual revenue
A snapshot of yearly performance
The Concept
- Implantations
- 2000
A glamping franchise for landowners, built around the Wigwam timber cabin
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.
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 Wigwam Holidays franchise cost?
Wigwam Holidays puts the initial investment at £60,000 to £360,000. Each cabin built to its franchise specification costs around £60,000, fully specified and installed, and the franchisor says most franchisees start with one to six cabins, although a site can take more. No separate initial franchise fee is published. The land itself is the franchisee’s own.
What fees does a Wigwam Holidays franchisee pay?
A flat commission of 20% plus VAT on bookings, according to the franchise site. The same rate applies regardless of which channel the booking comes through, including online travel agents, and the company states there are no other fees on top. Whether an initial fee, a renewal fee or a marketing levy applies is not published.
How much does a Wigwam Holidays glamping site make?
Wigwam Holidays states typical annual sales of £50,000 to £400,000 per site, depending on the number of cabins. These are sales, not profit, and the franchise site does not say whether they are measured before or after commission. The franchisor also quotes a typical return on investment of 25% to 30%, without publishing how it is calculated.
Do you need to own land to open a Wigwam Holidays franchise?
The franchise is offered to landowners, and recruitment is built around assessing the franchisee’s own site. Wigwam Holidays asks for road access, power and water connections, drainage and waste arrangements, and a quiet rural setting with room for at least one cabin. Whether a tenant farmer or someone leasing land can qualify is not stated.
Is planning permission needed for a Wigwam Holidays site?
Yes. Wigwam Holidays makes a formal franchise offer only after a planning application has succeeded, and states that it helps franchisees through the application. Planning decisions sit with the local planning authority, and the rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How do you become a Wigwam Holidays franchisee?
Through a seven-stage process set out on the franchise site: an online meeting with the sales team, a site visit, a feasibility assessment covering planning and projected cash flow, a planning application, a weekend on an established site, a second meeting with the team, and the franchise offer once planning is granted. The brand also runs open days for prospective franchisees.
What does Wigwam Holidays provide its franchisees?
The franchisor specifies the design and finish of the cabins, supports site design, and manages listings, booking rules and pricing across sales channels. According to the franchise site, franchisees get a dedicated account manager and access to the brand’s booking platform and franchise support team. The day-to-day running of the site stays with the franchisee.
You represent Wigwam Holidays?
Complete the missing information and review your details.
