Marquis, the national specialists in motorhome and caravan sales, have invested £1.5 million in a new, permanent home in Ipswich.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Mayor of Ipswich Bill Quinton performs the Grand Opening ceremony of Marquis Suffolk at farthing road industrial estate Bill and Barbara Quinton pictured with graham Davidson- bowman, Chris Browne and Andrew brand and staff and customers of MarquisThe Mayor of Ipswich Bill Quinton performs the Grand Opening ceremony of Marquis Suffolk at farthing road industrial estate Bill and Barbara Quinton pictured with graham Davidson- bowman, Chris Browne and Andrew brand and staff and customers of Marquis

The new fully equipped centre, has easy access just off the A14 at Farthing Road at Sproughton.

Marquis said the move of their Suffolk branch into the larger premises was creating extra jobs and would also offer an improved customer experience.

The branch has relocated to modern facilities at the former Trucks R Us site just a few miles away from their previous Martlesham home at Martlesham.

The new facility was opened by the mayor of Ipswich, Bill Quinton on Friday as the start of an opening celebration weekend for customers.

The £1.5million cash investment sees the newly formed branch on a 1.5 acre site which will display more than 100 motorhomes and caravans at a time.

It also has a sales centre, a dedicated valeting bay and an impressive 10 bay service centre for leisure vehicles of various sizes.

It is a one stop shop for motorhome owners and those looking to buy caravans.

Camping and caravanning is a boom leisure activity and Marquis Leisure has moved to the larger site to provide a better choice for customers from across Suffolk and East Anglia.

Mayor Mr Quinton, and wife Barbara, had been keen caravanners for many years, he said.

“It is a pleasure to be here,” he said, “We had many happy years caravanning and camping as a family, at weekends and holidays.

“The wonderful thing about caravanning is all the people you meet, and the friends that you make. It is a lovely way of passing the time.”

Mike Crouch, Marquis managing director said: “Suffolk is a strategic development for Marquis in response to growing motorhome market share and introduction of caravan sales in the area. After eight months of planning it’s fantastic to be able to open the business to customers.

“We’ve invested heavily in this new site to meet increasing local demand and offer better servicing facilities to deliver a much more rewarding experience for our customers.

He said the strategic move comes after customer feedback concluded the increase demand for new and pre-owned tourers and motorhomes in the East Anglian area. “The purchase of the new premises, which is funded by cash reserves of the UK’s largest dealer network, is a sound investment to the group and provides fantastic facilities in an easy to find location just off junction 54 of the A14.”

All of the current staff that customers have come to know and trust, remain as part of the team moving to the new premises and at least ten new jobs have been created to help drive the team and branch from strength to strength, he added.

Marquis Leisure is at Farthing Road, Sproughton, Ipswich, IP1 5AP. Telelephone 01473 630 800 for more information.