Not one, but two different former independent HUD Code manufactured housing retailers that sold out to Clayton Homes in recent years revealed a surprising trend to MHProNews.
Retail traffic – manufactured home shoppers – at formerly independently-owned manufactured home sales centers declined after Clayton Homes bought their locations, per those insider sources.
What explains the decline after Clayton Homes purchased the location?
That question will be examined in a future Daily Business News on MHProNews report.
But the purported fact of the decline of traffic could help explain why a top 10 manufactured housing state – such as Louisiana – could be experiencing a drop in new manufactured home shipments. Keep in mind, Clayton has a serious presence in Louisiana.
Meanwhile, the Berkshire/Clayton dominated Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) has produced a allegedly pricey video promoting the alleged ‘successes‘ of – wait for it – MHI.
2 stills from that new MHI video – reportedly okayed by Clayton Homes – are above and below. The thrust of the video is a kind of razzle dazzle way of convincing members to stay, and is uses to win new members. As a preview, we’ll be doing a report on that arguable piece of MHI spin in the days ahead. Until then, the two stills above and below will be useful to the industry’s professionals.
Clayton Homes “New” Image Campaign, Surprising Facts Behind Have it Made Stigma Attacking Video
Yet, as MHProNews exclusively reported, the largest member of MHI – Clayton Homes – has closed some 100 retail centers in the last 7 years. Their ‘stigma’ fighting image campaign has clearly failed to meaningfully move the needle.
Prior insider tips from Clayton sources have said that Clayton purportedly will drop pay for General Managers (GM) once they’ve largely achieve their corporate objective to dominate manufactured housing.
Former Clayton Homes Team, Employees Speak Out – Mainstream Media, Trade Media Reports
We are not aware of any other trade media source that has reported – as the Daily Business News on MHProNews has – that if new homes destined for use as rental units in manufactured home communities were discounted, the industry as a whole has been largely flat for years.
The above doesn’t mean that some Clayton centers are preforming better, or improving. So, pay close attention to what those insider sources at Clayton said. Rephrased, centers that were previously owned by manufactured housing independents and where purchased by Clayton Homes ended up – per those sources – declining in retail customer traffic. Based on that, and the other problematic reports about Knoxville and Arlington, how is it that they claim that they have some secret sauce for more industry success?
It is interesting to note, in contrast to the trends at Clayton retail, that Legacy Housing is planning to expand the number of their sales centers. ICYMI, or want a refresher, see the report, linked above.
“Razzle dazzle” by Knoxville’s pawns in Arlington, VA will only work long-term on the industry’s independents in an environment where there are no fact-checks. Thus, the value and importance of ongoing insider tips, news, analysis, and commentary. That’s manufactured housing “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use,” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
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