Why are site fees so much more in uk than europe

[Folkranger]

Up to now no-one has answered the original question.

Why are site fees so much more in UK than Europe? Some of you who own sites in the UK must have the answer, or are you too embarrassed to go public?

I thought I had answered this above..........

One reason could be they are just to greedy .

No such thing. When in business you have to charge low enough to sell and as high as you can ensuring you get the turnover you want.

 

[Folkranger]

Up to now no-one has answered the original question.

Why are site fees so much more in UK than Europe? Some of you who own sites in the UK must have the answer, or are you too embarrassed to go public?

I thought I had answered this above..........Pure supply and demand. Unfortunately we're overpopulated and under-resouced so bound to be dearer. Evidenced by the fact that we never book sites abroad, just turn up but in the UK you have to book up and most are full most of the time.

 

[irnbru]

If folk are daft enough to pay the high prices then we are making a rod for our own back....but what's cheap to them might seem dear to me so I guess its each to their own on what one is willing to pay.

 

[63720]

No I don’t. But that’s my opinion.
If it’s all so doom and gloom running a campsite then they would all close.
Not the same but my other half ran a childminder business. She was the cheapest in the area our business decision to drop after a few years at going rate. She gave good service and was always full. With waiting lists.
When we compare that to round the corner who wanted double the hourly rate and complains about not getting customers.
Just because someone will always pay the higher price doesn’t make it the right way. Yes we had to work harder more customers more work etc when we had enough we closed
I see campsites doing the same they would rather have 1 van at £50 than 2 vans at £25 a night.
Thankfully Jim it’s not everyone that goes down the high route

Agreed. We liked the club site at Totnes, no electricity, but overnighting is now available for £10 in the neighbouring carpark. Last time we did this the site was approximately half full, as we walked past, but if the club offered bogof we might have considered it against the carpark. No joined up thinking.

 

[Fragle]

If folk are daft enough to pay the high prices then we are making a rod for our own back....but what's cheap to them might seem dear to me so I guess its each to their own on what one is willing to pay.

Let’s take fuel for an example. On the island by me there are 3 filling stations all with very clear prices

Asda can be up to 10p a litre cheaper yet you will still see cars queues at the other 2
It blows my mind. But that’s the problem they pay extra so the company will charge extra

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[Bart]

I thought I had answered this above..........
No such thing. When in business you have to charge low enough to sell and as high as you can ensuring you get the turnover you want.

I'm sure if you did a poll ATM asking people if they thought that certain petrol stations were being greedy with the price of fuel, I'm sure not many would say that they are charging a fair price for the fuel and that some forecourts are price gouging when it comes to their mark up on fuel

 

[nicholsong]

Why are free Aires in France so much cheaper than anywhere in UK?

 

[emjaiuk]

But this thread could be full of posts showing that some of the most expensive sites you will ever stay at are on the continent.

You're right, but those are usually all singing all dancing sites on the beach. Value for money is very personal and very subjective, but if there was a way to quantify it, I wouldn't be surprised if the top continental sites came out well. No good of course to the man who takes pride in the minimum facilities he can survive with, or who hates the thought of having neighbours, but that's why we're all different.
One of the biggest problems with the world today is the number of people who don't realise I'm always right

 

[Folkranger]

I'm sure if you did a poll ATM asking people if they thought that certain petrol stations were being greedy with the price of fuel, I'm sure not many would say that they are charging a fair price for the fuel and that some forecourts are price gouging when it comes to their mark up on fuel

I didn't say it was fair I said it was how business works. As to the reliability of such a poll it's the sams as asking 100 people if they feel they should get more money and then being surprised when they all saiid "Yes".

 

[cyberyacht]

It isn't just campsites although not a dissimilar market. Renting a fairly basic chalet in the UK will usually cost you significantly more than you could rent an air-conditioned apartment with a communal pool on the Costas for.

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[DumfriesDik]

I'm with you, I feel the clubs need to up their game.

 

[nicholsong]

I think nobody has mentioned shorter season in UK, which also means little winter income, so overheads are spread over fewer occupancies.

The planning laws also have a part to play, because there are fewer places to park in comparison to France. Until recently the 'Clubs' have had a stranglehold on CL/CS and the 5 units also is restrictive. Thankfully Campra and Fun are slowly breaking that stranglehold.

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

We have been in the UK since the 27th May I will add not by choice the cheapest campsite and none including electric and some charged for the dog was in Derby £10 a night all the others have been £14 / £20 none have been busy even at the weekend, the ones that were it was tents.
So where all these motorhomes and caravans are that flooded the market is anyone's guess, we have a ferry booking for the end of August, but hopefully we can leave before then, and use Aires and have more choice without being held to ransom. Bob.

There's a cl North of Nottingham for £5 a night last year I haven't been there this year.

 

[rod_vw]

I think nobody has mentioned shorter season in UK, which also means little winter income, so overheads are spread over fewer occupancies.

The planning laws also have a part to play, because there are fewer places to park in comparison to France. Until recently the 'Clubs' have had a stranglehold on CL/CS and the 5 units also is restrictive. Thankfully Campra and Fun are slowly breaking that stranglehold.

It's my understanding that a majority of French sites close at the end of September and don't re-open until May, in general they are open for a six month period in the summer.
British sites being similar why should a business that only works for six months of the year expect to earn twelve months salary in that period? There is nothing stopping them from having another job full or part time in the winter period. I know there will be some maintenance to do in the closed period but it's not a fulltime job.

Yes thank goodness Campra and Fun are making inroads into breaking down some of the stranglehold.

 

[Barryh]

Up to now no-one has answered the original question.

Why are site fees so much more in UK than Europe? Some of you who own sites in the UK must have the answer, or are you too embarrassed to go public?

See my post #10

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[Southdowners]

Up to now no-one has answered the original question.

Why are site fees so much more in UK than Europe? Some of you who own sites in the UK must have the answer, or are you too embarrassed to go public?

I did answer your question in post 28 where I said that France is more than twice the size of the UK. The United Kingdom has a population of 68 million, and France has 65.47 million. So their country is far less populated than ours and has a vast country. Of course they can have aires and the like because they have the land. In the UK land is scarce and expensive. You simply cannot do a straight comparison between the two countries.

You didn't respond or discuss what myself and others have offered as reasons as to why things are more expensive in the UK.

At the end of the day you choose to stay in the UK and pay the prices or you don't. The choice is yours.

I owned and ran a livery yard and sometimes got comments about the 'profit I must be making'. Without fail this comment was always made by people who had absolutely no idea whatsoever as to how a business is run and the associated costs.

 

[MikenPauline]

It really doesn't take a lot of working out, the living wage is £9.50 per hour assuming 40 hours per week (but there will be call out payments etc) that's £380 not including pension plus Holliday pay etc,

Now for one person to be paid a living wage at £15 you would need to have rental for 25.3 pitches to cover one wage and for 8 staff 202.6 pitches. and that does not include staff pensions, sick pay, council tax, business tax and all the running costs (inc water rates energy costs).

whist I have never run a site I suspect it is a whole lot harder than many can imagine with costs that would make most cry. there is nothing wrong with making a profit. £30 per night isn't bad when you consider what we pay for our Motorhomes or flights or to rent a holliday let, have you seen the cost of a half decent hotel room?

You want to see what a site makes go and look up company records and you may see they are not making as much as you imagine

Still doesn’t address the issue that wages and add ons in France are higher than uk, but site fees lower. Agree profit is good. I spent a working life making sure reported profits were as low as possible so don’t be conned by the old company records argument

 

[MikenPauline]

I think nobody has mentioned shorter season in UK, which also means little winter income, so overheads are spread over fewer occupancies.

The planning laws also have a part to play, because there are fewer places to park in comparison to France. Until recently the 'Clubs' have had a stranglehold on CL/CS and the 5 units also is restrictive. Thankfully Campra and Fun are slowly breaking that stranglehold.

If it was truly the C&MC they would be extending/converting sites to provide £8 a night aires areas for motorhomers who don’t need the expensive loos etc

 

[PrettyandFluffy]

And on a related note, can someone please try and justify why some sites want to charge £5 a night for a dog?? I refuse to pay it on principle but it looks like pure profiteering. A litre or two of water to drink and a contribution to the poo bin does not amount to £5.

 

[Southdowners]

I suppose the charge for dogs is because the site has to employ someone to empty the poo bins, replenish the bags within the bin, repair and maintain the bins, buy bins in the first place, cart the waste off to wherever stuff like that has to go... I don't know if they can dispose of it in with the rest of the rubbish.

Some sites also provide a designated dog walk.

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[PrettyandFluffy]

I suppose the charge for dogs is because the site has to employ someone to empty the poo bins, replenish the bags within the bin, repair and maintain the bins, buy bins in the first place, cart the waste off to wherever stuff like that has to go... I don't know if they can dispose of it in with the rest of the rubbish.

Some sites also provide a designated dog walk.

I appreciate that but I really doubt it amounts to much additional work - mow a small area, empty an extra 1 or 2 bins ... not even 30 mins a day across a week, I think. I don't mind paying something but it has to be reasonable.

 

[Southdowners]

But what about the cost of the bins, lining bags, disposal? They’d also have to be sanitised and maintained. It may be that it takes 30 mins a day but they still have to pay someone to do it.

I somehow doubt it’s as cost-free as it seems.

 

[Just smiffy]

I wouldn’t clean up someone else’s dog crap for £100 let alone a fiver….

 

[Folkranger]

I did answer your question in post 28 where I said that France is more than twice the size of the UK. The United Kingdom has a population of 68 million, and France has 65.47 million. So their country is far less populated than ours and has a vast country. Of course they can have aires and the like because they have the land. In the UK land is scarce and expensive. You simply cannot do a straight comparison between the two countries.

You didn't respond or discuss what myself and others have offered as reasons as to why things are more expensive in the UK.

At the end of the day you choose to stay in the UK and pay the prices or you don't. The choice is yours.

I owned and ran a livery yard and sometimes got comments about the 'profit I must be making'. Without fail this comment was always made by people who had absolutely no idea whatsoever as to how a business is run and the associated costs.

Same point i've been making and got very little support for it because it's a truth people don't want to know. They'd rather believe that it's just greed and some bad people out there are cashing in on this.

 

[Coolcats]

Still doesn’t address the issue that wages and add ons in France are higher than uk, but site fees lower. Agree profit is good. I spent a working life making sure reported profits were as low as possible so don’t be conned by the old company records argument

Turnover is vanity profit is sanity, one firm I worked for charged me out at £350 per hour they are a highly profitable company. Whilst that sounds like a high figure behind me sat finance, maintenance R&D and a whole bunch of services that supported what I did. On another note Profit should never be as small as possible unexpected expenses and costs always happen and any company needs a war chest.

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