Swivel chair swings around the fortune of Yorkshire company

A Yorkshire based business supplying campervan parts to enthusiasts looking to upgrade their mobile homes, anticipates doubling its turnover this year as it hits on a winning formula.

Kiravans specialise in supplying campervan parts all around the UK via mail order but have hit upon a unique swivel seat system that is promising to put their business on an altogether different platform. The Otley based business, part owned by Scot Robert McCandless, is hoping the chair will boost their turnover to something like £600,000 this year but he explained how romance played a part in the company’s success.

Robert and his brother had originally set up a campervan conversion and rental business in Scotland but when Robert met and fell in love with a Yorkshire lass it was not long before he moved south and started a family. He explained: “My new circumstances were not compatible with running a camper van rental business so Mike and I took the decision to set up Kiravans with the aim of sourcing and importing parts including seats, windows, electrical items and elevating roofs and supplying them to UK van conversion companies. One of the products we supplied was swivel systems to rotate single front passenger seats round to face a table.”

Anyone who has ever purchased campervan insurance will know that even the best models can be a little cramped and the swivel seats became a hit with customers as soon as they appeared on Kiravans website. The firm then realised the possibilities of the swivel system and with the help of the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) managed to find a local engineering firm who could facilitate their manufacturing demands. The proximity of the manufacturers has helped boost production and Kiravans and its campervan customers are enjoying the benefits of their innovative work.