Interview
PIERRE ROUSSEAU
Three generations of passion Still firmly in the hands of the Founder’s family, Rapido has increasingly structured itself as a group to compete on equal terms with the strongest competition. We interviewed Pierre Rousseau, owner of the Rapido Group. Words Antonio Mazzucchelli
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t was 1961 when Constant Rousseau created the Rapido company in France as an offshoot of his furniture factory: as a skilled master carpenter, a few years before, Mr Rousseau had patented a special extendable caravan which had immediately captured the public’s interest. The award-winning folding caravan was refined and updated over time, before a new series was created with rigid walls and a lifting roof. A total of over 35,000 units were made in 30 years of production. Rapido followed the rise in interest in recreational vehicles by creating innovative and quality products. In 1985 Pierre Rousseau, the son of Founder’s took over the company after his father’s untimely death, and more recently (in 2014), his own son, Nicolas, took over the role of sales manager. Pierre Rousseau has always understood that Rapido needed to keep growing if it wants to stay on an increasingly competitive European market. From 1993 to 2017 Rapido focused on creating new brands were and acquiring existing companies, gradually building what we now know as the Rapido Group. This included creating the Itineo brand in 2006, which has become an important motorhome brand for Rapido, plus its Rapidhome mobile homes, and the Fleurette and Florium brands. It has also developed a strong presence in the van segment with its Campereve and Dreamer brands, plus the acquisition in 2010 of the big, iconic German brand, Westfalia. Other acquisitions include the Italian company P.L.A. in 2016 (with the subsidiary Giottiline) and two more van producers in 2017, the French brand, Stylevan, and the British brand, WildAx. Currently the Rapido Group employs 1,300 people, with 500 of these at Mayenne, France, the main production site created in 1975. Total annual production is around 16,000 units per year, of which about 50 per cent are exported.
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