The History of River Motorhomes

River Motorhomes was founded by partners John and Michelle in February 2020 with a simple ambition: to build a motorhome business that genuinely puts customers first, delivers exceptional aftersales support, and treats people honestly, ethically and fairly.

Every business starts somewhere. Ours started on a gravel pitch.

As the UK entered the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we opened our doors from a small wooden shed on a used vehicle site at Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry.

There were no grand offices, no large team and no investors. We laid the laminate flooring ourselves, built the desks, connected the phones and even created our own website. We started with a single motorhome, then another, then another, learning every day and reinvesting everything we could back into the business.

The first major turning point came when Michelle approached Chausson. Through determination, hard work and a little courage, she secured a cancelled order of 22 brand new Chausson motorhomes. For a young business, it was an enormous opportunity.

Funding the vehicles and taking delivery of them month by month was a challenge, but one we embraced. Those motorhomes became the foundation of our growing hire fleet and helped establish River Motorhomes throughout the UK.

As the business developed, it became clear that selling and hiring motorhomes was only part of the journey.

Our real passion was aftersales.

Too often we heard stories from customers who had struggled to receive the support they deserved after purchasing their motorhome. Poor communication, lengthy delays and a lack of genuine customer care seemed to have become accepted within parts of the industry.

We believed there should be a better way.

Our aim has always been to support our customers long after they collect the keys. Buying a motorhome is the beginning of an adventure, not the end of a sales process.

To achieve that ambition, we needed better facilities.

In October 2020, we relocated to Stratford-upon-Avon, where larger workshops, improved customer facilities and additional parking gave us the space to build the business we had always imagined.

In March 2021, River Motorhomes became an approved Chausson Service, Parts and Warranty Centre.

That relationship has been incredibly important to us. We are immensely grateful to Chausson for the trust they placed in a young business, and equally grateful to the thousands of customers who have chosen River Motorhomes. We have had the privilege of supporting owners from every corner of the UK and have even looked after customers from mainland Europe while they have been travelling here.

We are also incredibly proud to have become part of the wonderful Chausson owners’ community, affectionately known as the Coggers. Their enthusiasm, loyalty and friendship have played an important part in our journey.

As demand continued to grow, so did our hire fleet. Alongside Chausson, we introduced premium Malibu motorhomes, built by Carthago, giving our customers even more choice for their adventures.

The next exciting chapter came in 2023 with the opening of our dedicated sales dealership in Sutton Coldfield, now known as our Birmingham branch. Initially representing Chausson, we quickly expanded our range to include Pilote and Joa Camp, giving customers an even wider choice of high-quality European motorhomes.

Around eighteen months later, another dream became reality.

We opened our Hereford dealership, John’s hometown and the city where he was born. The site occupies what many local people remember as the former Toyota dealership from over forty years ago.

Bringing this iconic location back to life as a modern motorhome dealership has been one of the proudest moments in our journey.

The next chapter began in March 2026, when we opened our newest dealership at Meir Park Garden Centre, Newport, Shropshire. This fantastic location has enabled us to reach even more customers across the Midlands and beyond, while continuing to deliver the friendly, knowledgeable service and aftersales support that River Motorhomes has become known for. The site further strengthens our commitment to making it easier for customers to view, purchase and maintain their motorhomes close to home.

As River Motorhomes has continued to grow, so has the range of leading European manufacturers we represent. What began as a Chausson dealership has expanded to include Pilote, Joa Camp, ACE, Eura Mobil and Westfalia, allowing us to offer everything from compact campervans to luxury A-Class motorhomes. Each brand has been carefully selected because it shares our commitment to quality, innovation and exceptional customer value.

Today, River Motorhomes has grown into one of the UK’s leading independent motorhome specialists, offering:

• New and used motorhome sales
• Campervan sales
• Nationwide motorhome hire
• Manufacturer-approved servicing
• Warranty repairs
• Habitation servicing
• Mechanical repairs
• Insurance and accident repairs
• Genuine parts and accessories
• Finance and part exchange

Although the business has grown beyond anything we imagined back in 2020, our values remain exactly the same.

We believe in treating people honestly.

We believe in doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching.

We believe that exceptional aftersales support is just as important as making the initial sale.

Most importantly, we believe our customers deserve to enjoy every mile of their motorhome ownership with the confidence that someone is always there to help when they need us.

From one motorhome on a gravel pitch to a multi-site dealership representing some of Europe’s leading manufacturers, our journey has been built on hard work, determination and the loyalty of thousands of wonderful customers.

To every customer who has bought from us, hired from us, trusted us to service their motorhome or simply recommended us to friends and family…Thank you.

You have helped make River Motorhomes what it is today, and we look forward to welcoming you for many years to come.

Honest. Ethical. Fair.
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