Overview
- The company posted on Facebook confirming it had entered administration and restored that account while not naming any external administrators.
- Customers and onlookers found phones disconnected, the website and social accounts pulled, and AOR’s Caloundra factory locked and empty before the administration was announced.
- Affected buyers who paid deposits for new vans and owners with vehicles in for repair have been left uncertain about refunds, warranties and access to their caravans, though some owners were later able to retrieve vehicles.
- Founders Steve Budden and Russell Evans blamed competition from cheaper imported products and rising input and wage costs, and the firm’s recent August promotion offering large bonus packages may increase the number of people exposed to losses.
- The collapse follows last year’s Zone RV failure and comes as the caravan industry returns to pre‑pandemic trading levels, a shift industry groups warn could leave some local manufacturers financially vulnerable.