This year, Perthshire Caravans is celebrating its 90th year in business!
To mark this incredible milestone, we spoke with Ian McCormack, who grew up around the success of Perthshire Caravans before eventually taking over the business from his father and uncle, Peter and Chris McCormack.
We asked Ian a few questions about the history of Perthshire Caravans and the journey the business has taken over the past 90 years. Here is what he had to say:
How did the business start Ian?
“My father and uncle had won £200 on the lottery, and were travelling home from England one day when they saw someone on the side of the road selling caravans. They decided it could be their next adventure. With the £200, they were able to purchase the land and the original building! The land only cost £35 back then.”
What do you think made the business so successful?
“I think the business was successful because there was no one else in Scotland offering the products that we were. If I’m honest, it didn’t really start to take off until the 1950s and 60s, when people wanted something different and more luxurious when they went on holiday. It became incredibly popular almost overnight.
By the 1970s we were so busy that we were able to stock 12 different brands on our premises, which at the time was unheard of. From Jubilee Caravans to Travel Master, we stocked it all.”
What were some of the difficulties your family business faced over these 90 years?
“We had a few moments that made us question how we were going to overcome them. During World War II, the business had to shut down and didn’t reopen for seven years.
In 2009, we had a devastating fire which destroyed everything that we had worked so hard to build. We had to watch as our hard work went up in flames. Thankfully no one was injured, but it was a huge setback. Nothing survived the fire — all of the vans and our premises were completely destroyed.
We didn’t know how we would overcome this, but we remained positive and decided not to give up on our dream. We started rebuilding.
Then in 2020 we faced the COVID outbreak, which meant the business had to close again. Thankfully we adapted quickly and started selling products online. When the lockdown was lifted, we were incredibly busy because many people didn’t want to risk travelling abroad in case another lockdown happened.”
What is one moment you are most proud of in these 90 years of business?
“It would have to be my son and daughter taking over the business. They both worked incredibly hard to get to that position and I am so proud of them. “
If you could give any advice to someone looking to start their own business today, what would it be?
“I think nowadays you need something different to be successful — and a whole lot of luck!
Unfortunately, the government isn’t always very supportive of new businesses, especially with all the rates and taxes they have to pay. It would be really difficult to start from scratch again today.
I would also say it’s important to read up on the different policies and legislation you need to follow when starting a business. The more you know before you start, the more prepared you will be — things like health and safety, for example.
Good luck to all the entrepreneurs who are starting out!”
We leave you with our full timeline!
