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Strong sales a bright spot for RVs Buoyed by strong retail sales in 2002, recreation vehicle manufacturers report they are boosting production to keep pace with growing consumer demand for their products. Additionally, the industry’s strong overall business performance is seen as a bright spot and a leading indicator in the nation’s overall eco nomic outlook, analysts say. Sales are up by double digits both wholesale and retail, according to market data compiled by Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and Statistical Surveys Inc. July posted the seventh straight month of gains in total RV wholesale shipments jumping 30.7 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Figures for the first half of 2002 show RV wholesale shipments up 16.1 percent and retail sales ahead 12.4 percent com pared with the same period in 2001. Helping drive RV sales are low inter est rates, the vast baby boomer market and more vacationers opting for domestic road trips in the post-9/11 travel climate, industry officials report. Many vacation ers are avoiding the hassles of airports and air travel, lured instead to the greater flexibility, control and comfort offered by RV travel. RV wholesale shipments are now pro jected to rise to 294,400 units in 2002 more than an estimated $lO billion in sales —a 14.6 percent increase from last year, according to independent market analyst DeWolf Associates in Reston, Va. Survey: Holiday sales expected to show decline According to the annual Holiday Spending Survey by Myvesta, Americans plan to spend slightly less on holiday purchases this year. The aver age holiday shopper will spend $722 this year, down from $773 in 2001. Forty-two percent of shoppers plan on spending less than SSOO. “With people still uncer tain about the economy and job security, their mindset is to hold onto more of their hard earned cash,” said Steve Rhode, president and co founder of Myvesta, a finan cial health center. “Even though our economy has shown some slight growth in the third quarter, it’s not mak ing a difference to your aver age consumer.” Although many people are planning to cut back on their spending or spend about the same on gifts as last year, Rhode says that some people will inevitably spend more than they had originally planned. “As much as people say gains from 9A same period in fiscal year 2001. ~ Actual earnings for the nine months ended Sept. 30 were $1.6 million or 5 cents per share, compared to $6.7 million or 26 cents per share compared to the year-earlier period. I In a release to the media Nov. 8, First Hprizon Chairman/President/CEO Mahendra G; Shah, Ph.D, stated: “During the quarter we L TDCt Child Safety | |\L- L Seat Checkup Courtesy of North Fulton Regional Hospital, Saturn of Roswell, Atlanta Fire Department & Alpharetta Fire Department and Fulton County Safe Kids Learn how to put your child in a car seat correctly! Stop by, and have a Safe Kids certified representative help you with any special needs and questions. Free demonstrations, giveaways and safety information will be available, so maKe plans now to attend. When? < Saturday, November 23, 2002 fcMWn 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. MBjpajQW Where? Saturn of Roswell Upper Hembree Road 678-366-8188 NUM CONTT North Fulton MSATLRN. Regional Hospital of Roswell /rener —u . * —— This is better than previously forecast due to low dealer inventories and continued market growth. Business performance date collected from RVIA member companies reveal significant increases in production capac ity for 2002 and 2003. Rising orders have prompted RV manufactures to hire addi tional workers, open new assembly lines, expand existing plants and construct new facilities. “Sales are brisk, with many new buyer prospects not previously considering an RV purchase,” said Norm Jacobson, director of sales and marketing, lance Camper Manufacturing Corp. Lancaster, Calif. “Units are disappearing from dealer inventory quickly, causing dealers to sub mit orders as fast as they can be built. Truck manufacturer incentives are proba bly helping, as we see many buyers with new trucks.” “Dealer inventories are currently at their lowest levels in several years,” remarked Sid Johnson, director of mar keting, Jayco Inc., Middlebury, Ind. “This, coupled with strong retail sales trends, bodes well for the balance of 2002. Expect the first half of next year to be a continuation of the current strong trend.” Don Emahiser, vice president of sales and marketing, Starcraft RV, Topeka, Ind., foresees the manufacturing climate as “operating at peak capacity throughout the winter [and] looking at expansion ideas to help meet sales demands this they are going to cut back on their spending, what they say and what they do can often be two very different things,” Rhode said. “Even though most people have an idea of how much they are planning to spend many of them never develop a plan about what kinds of gifts they are going to buy. After wandering around the mall picking up things here and there, they often get home to a much larger bill than they had originally antici pated.” Although the average pro jection of spending by con sumers was $722 this year, almost 20 percent of those sur veyed said they didn’t have any idea of how much they were going to spend. “Those who don’t have a dollar figure in their mind for their holiday purchases are going to be the most surprised when they end up tallying the total for their gifts,” Rhode said. “Having a plan and stick ing with it can save hundreds of dollars, giving you a more made substantial progress on the execution of key strategic marketing and sales plans, sales force training and educational outreach pro grams. “We have prioritized our line extension and development programs and continue to expand and strengthen our intellectual property posi tion.” enjoyable and less stressful holiday season.” Some holiday shopping tips from Myvesta include: • Carry only two cards when shopping. Use one with a zero balance for purchases you will pay off in full. Use the other, low-interest-rate card for purchases you will pay off over three to six months. • Record all of your pur chases in your checkbook reg ister. Even if you don’t write a check, subtract the amount of the purchase. That way, when the bill arrives, the money will be in your checking account to pay the bill in full. • Avoid “buy now and pay later” offers, which encourage you to spend money you don’t have. • Use a low-rate, major credit card instead of high-rate department store cards. • Don’t apply for depart ment store cards just to get a one-time discount. The annual Myvesta Holiday Survey was conduct- coming spring.” Also anticipating continued market growth, Bruce Hertke, chairman, CEO and president of Winnebago Industries Inc., Forest City, lowa, commented, “The RV industry will remain strong, perhaps increasing another 8-10 percent in the first half of 2003.” Long-term trends point to substantial RV market growth because of favorable demographic trends. As aging baby boomers enter their prime RV-buying years over the next decade, the number of RV-owning households is projected to rise 15 percent by 2010, outpacing overall U.S. household growth of 10 percent, according to a 2001 University of Michigan study. Over the past four years, the study found the number of RVs owned by those 35 to 54 grew faster than all other age groups, underscoring the success of a S4O million industry advertising campaign (Go RVing) aimed at the baby boomer. Economists have traditionally viewed the RV industry as a leading economic indicator. “The RV industry is among the first to recover from economic downturn,” explained RVIA President David J. Humphreys, “indicating an upswing may be ahead for the nation’s economy.” RVIA is the national association rep resenting nearly 500 manufacturers and component suppliers producing approxi mately 98 percent of all RVs made in the United States. ed Oct. 25-27, 2002. some other survey results include: • Those aged 35-44 plan to spend $977 on holiday gifts, the most of any age group. • Men plan to spend almost 22 percent more on holiday gifts than women. Men will spend $795 and women will spend $653. • Those who are married plan tq spend 52 percent more than single people. Married individuals will spend $839 and singles will spend $551. • People in the West will spend the most on holiday purchases this year, averaging S7BO per person. Those in the Midwest will spend the least with an average of $648. People in the Northeast will spend $743 and those in the South plan to spend $721. r 1| R aSMB JHi Any One Item ■ Jb, I One coupon per family. Retail customers only. Not valid I k ■ on previously discounted items or pallet quantities. B _ I Does not include Deere Toys or Gifts. ! INHI EXPIRES 12/31/02 YOUR LOCAL JOHN DEERE LANDSCAPES BRANCH has what you need to create a spectacular setting this season! Choose from a full selection of the most stunning fall and holiday plants as well as John Deere toys and gifts. Are you having guests for the holidays? contractor who can even offer you financing Dazzle them with your new options through John Deere Credit. It just professionally installed landscapingl ma Y eas ' Bst wa Y t 0 c * ress John Deere Landscapes can your home for the holidays! Just provide you with a reputable local call 866-4-YardProl IT] R'J E F] Q | w Visit your local branch today! (S)— ToGl)rM j A | Ito Alpharetta, GA 30005 JL T BB LANMCATU Exit 12 McFarland Rd B 5610 McGinnis Ferry Road, Bldg 1 HubbmwHSwn'Rd Crossroads Rd # 770-740-2820 - / Cumming, GA 30040 <9 , '[ V j 5765 Hubbard Town Road ALPHARETTA CUMMING FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, Novsmber 17,2002 I Business notes Eckerd Drug Stores Inc., ... a subsidiary of the JCPenney Co., has reported that third quarter 2002 operat ing profits more than doubled to $79 million compared with the S3O million in profits reported in third quarter 2001. In addition, operating profit increased by 130 basis points to 2.2 percent of sales. Company officials said the Improvement in Eckerd’s operating profit resulted from a combination of increased gross margin and leveraging of expenses. Comparable store sales increased by 4.9 percent dur ing the quarter, with pharmacy sales increasing 7.3 percent while nonpharmacy, or front end, sales were flat. Pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by higher generic substitution rates. The strongest front-end categories for the quarter were household products, bever ages, baby and hygiene prod ucts, and cosmetics and fra grances. The Johns Creek ... Business Association will meet and elect new offi cers for the coming year on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at EBC Office Centers, 6465 E. Jones Crossing. The host is Kathy Bracewell of EBC. Slated to take office are Robin Grier, Edward Jones Investments, president; Greg Martin, ERA Sunrise Realty, vice president; Bracewell, sec retary; and Degan Sharp, Wachovia Bank, treasurer. For more information, call (678) 474-9110. Financial workshops ... will be sponsored by the Cumming Recreation & Parks Department featuring local investment advisor Rex Abbott. • The next seminars is Tuesday, Nov. 19, 9-11 a.m. Women and Investing. Topics will include wills, liv ing trusts, the important of making smart investments and estate planning. • Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6:30- 8:30 p.m. Tax-Free Investing. Topics will include the different types of tax-free investment opportunities, the benefits of such options and developing strategies designed to protect income. For information and to reg ister, call the city at 770-781- 2030 or 770-781-2010. Disaster assistance ... for local small business es is available through the U.S. Small Business Administration if damage occurred during recent heavy rains and flood ing. Applications are available from the SBA office/Area 2,1 Baltimore Place, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30308. The deadlines for filing are Dec. 2 and July 3, 2003. Tugaloo Home ... Health Agency on Wednesday celebrated the grand opening of its new home care office at 416 Pirkle Ferry Drive, Suite H-200. Owner Linda Frakes ... has opened the Curves for Women facility in the new Cruse Marketplace shopping center on Hwy. 20 at Samples Road. The 30-minute fitness and weight loss center pro vides a successful blend of exercise and diet. For information, call Frakes at (678) 513-0670. Income tax training ... programs will be offered at the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville Dec. 5- 6, sponsored by the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and the UGA Small Business Development Center. ’ The tax programs will include a one-day 1040 work shop and a one-day income tax legislative update presented by a host of tax experts. The programs are designed to enable participants to advise clients on tax law changes, work with the changes, plan ning and compliance and tax return preparation. To register or for more information, call Holly Preston at (800) 884-1381. PAGE 11A