Willerby Holiday Homes is hiring 100 staff in Hull on back of UK staycation boom

Hull-based Willerby Holiday Homes, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, says its order book is full until mid-2022, as more Britons decide to go on holiday in the UK.

The company is opening a new production line to meet the demand for “prestige” holiday homes, with the new workers bringing the total employed by the company to more than 1,100.

Chief executive officer Peter Munk believes the shift in consumer behaviour is here to stay.

He said: “The COVID pandemic has resulted in a boom in staycations and an unprecedented demand for high-quality holiday homes, which is reflected in our order book.

“We believe this impact will be over the long term and that has given us the confidence to open this new production line and recruit 100 new employees in the latest stage of our continued growth.

“It will significantly increase our capacity to produce premium holiday homes and create much-needed jobs in the local area during what remains a very difficult period for many people.”

According to Visit Britain’s latest sentiment tracker, which has been quizzing people about their holiday plans since last May, only a fifth expect to take the same number of trips abroad this year, against a backdrop of continuing uncertainty.

The Government is preparing to lift the ban on international travel on May 17 and is finishing a “traffic light” system to determine which countries will be authorised destinations.

The top two destinations for spring trips in the UK are “traditional coastal/seaside town” (30 per cent) followed by “countryside or village” (27 per cent).

Outdoor areas - beaches, mountains and trails - come top of the list for attracting visitors, as lockdown restrictions ease (42 per cent) followed by outdoor leisure or sports activities, walking, cycling and swimming.

Willerby was founded in 1946 when Walter Allen, a resident of Willerby, on the outskirts of Hull, decided to switch from making beehives to building touring caravans for the growing post-war holiday park industry.

Currently Willerby can produce up to 7,500 holiday homes, lodges and residential park homes a year across its existing four production lines.

The new line will add another 600 units a year to its annual production capacity.

Recruiting has begun for the new roles, which include electricians, plumbers, cabinet makers, labourers.

Training will begin next month ahead of the production line opening at the start of July.