Structure, Operation, Performance, and Development Trends of the Mobile Home Industry. Volume III: The Mobile Home Distribution System

摘要

Part of a five - volume series on the structure, operation, performance, and development trends of the mobile home industry, this report examines industrial organization, distribution, cost / price analysis, dealer financing, and consumer financing of the mobile home distribution system. Mobile home dealers, numbering 13,513 in 1974, are highly decentralized, and regional differentials in the number of outlets are substantial. Basic areas for improvement in the industrial organization are suboptimal spatial distribution of the existing outlets, excess capacity, and serious seasonal fluctuations. The average annual mobile home dealership sales volumes have risen from about $192,000 in 1963 to $895,000 in 1972. The distribution system has evolved from small, family - owned operations to large, incorporated dealerships. Most dealers have become sophisticated in the sales and servicing of mobile homes as ''permanent'' residential units.