Another one bites the dust. Grand Design
Sold to the highest bidder. Winnebago Ind. Too bad, they had a good thing going from what I read. http://www.rvbusiness.com/2016/10/winnebago-industries-to-acquire-grand-design/
Forum Discussion
For those who might not be aware, Winnebago had already purchased Sunnybrook (Mobile Scout in some markets) a few years ago. It appears that their business plan is to expand their towable product lines.
It looks like the towable RV market is boiling down to just a few major players - Thor (who just acquired Jayco), Forest River and, to a much smaller extent Winnebago who apparently wants to be a factor as well.
For those who think these buyouts don't matter, in the approximately 2 years since Thor acquired DRV, we've seen both good and bad, and that's coming from our perspective as DRV owners since 2004. The good - Thor has invested $$$ in the DRV facilities to build a new service center with full hookup RV sites, a water test booth, etc. The bad - Thor has put their own management and operating philosophies in place to tighten up spending. While DRV would often supply parts and service at no charge even after the warranty period was up, that's no longer the case. DRV was always quick to say "yes" - Thor seems just as quick to say "no".
Rusty
It looks like the towable RV market is boiling down to just a few major players - Thor (who just acquired Jayco), Forest River and, to a much smaller extent Winnebago who apparently wants to be a factor as well.
For those who think these buyouts don't matter, in the approximately 2 years since Thor acquired DRV, we've seen both good and bad, and that's coming from our perspective as DRV owners since 2004. The good - Thor has invested $$$ in the DRV facilities to build a new service center with full hookup RV sites, a water test booth, etc. The bad - Thor has put their own management and operating philosophies in place to tighten up spending. While DRV would often supply parts and service at no charge even after the warranty period was up, that's no longer the case. DRV was always quick to say "yes" - Thor seems just as quick to say "no".
Rusty
