Winnebago Industries is leading the national market for R-V sales and continues to beat its own records, according to the second quarter financial report being released today. Randy Potts, chairman and CEO of the Forest City-based company, says revenues for the quarter exceeded $177-million, up nearly 35-percent from the second quarter last year.
“We had positive comparisons against our performance a year ago in nearly every aspect of our business,” Potts says. “Our motor home products are in demand. When compared to last year, wholesale motor home shipments to dealers grew 42% during the quarter and 45% for the first six months.”
While the quarterly report looked very good, he says there’s room for more optimism moving forward as well. “Our motorized sales order backlog has grown in the last five consecutive quarters,” Potts says. “At the end of the second quarter, it had grown in every motorized category and was up 174% year over year and 30% sequentially from the first quarter.”
Winnebago is reporting an operating income of nearly $9-million for the quarter, versus an operating loss of $1.2-million for the second quarter of Fiscal 2012. He says the company’s R-Vs are selling extremely well.
“Not only are industry retail volumes increasing, but Winnebago Industries is outpacing the industry,” Potts says. “Retail sales for Winnebago Industries motor homes increased 17% in the U.S. and Canada during Calendar 2012 compared to the industry’s increase of 7% for the same period in North America.”
Earnings in the second quarter got a boost from increased demand, driving higher sales volume. Potts predicts the motorized R-V market will continue to grow toward pre-recession levels.