INDUSTRY INSIDERS

Getting to know key people from the world of caravanning! In this issue, we chat with Barefoot Caravans MD Cathy Chamberlain

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Tell us about your current role?

I'm the MD at Barefoot Caravans, working alongside my business partner Ben Matthews. The two of us run it together and we have a brilliant team around us.

Ben is predominantly on the production and technical side, and I pick up most of the other bits and pieces, including marketing and sales, accounts, attending shows and organising events for our Barefoot owners.

I deal with license agreements, including the partnership we have with Country Living magazine. We have manufactured a Barefoot Caravan for the magazine, allowing them to choose their preferred colours and interior, and it has proved extremely popular.

I also like getting involved with the customer handovers. It's a good way to get to know our customers and to see what excites them and what we might improve.

What element of the business do you most enjoy?

It's the variety. No two days are the same. I like the marketing side - we present Barefoot Caravans really well, and I can see that other caravan companies have started following what we do. So we must be doing something right.

We have 21,000 Instagram followers and 18,000 Facebook followers - I feel proud of what we've achieved there.

How did the Country Living partnership come about?

As our caravans are stylish and unusual, we often get approached by companies with interesting projects - it's then a question of choosing the right things to go with. There are brand licensing companies that bring together big brands, and we've been approached by a few of those over time. We particularly liked the Country Living proposal.

How did you get into the industry - what's your background?