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Get to Know Camping World Before it IPOs

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Despite the relative sluggishness of the IPO market this year, renewed economic confidence and impressive performance from companies that have recently gone public indicate that IPOs could pick up in the fall. One company that could be ready for a massive IPO is Camping World, a retailer of recreational vehicles and camping supplies.

Camping World started as a small store outside of an amusement park in Kentucky in 1966, and the company experienced slow and steady growth until its merger with Marcus Lemonis’ FreedomRoads in 2006. The new company would later merge with Good Sam Enterprises in 2011, keeping the current host of CNBC’s The Profit on as chairman and CEO.

The company is now the largest provider of RVs and related products in the United States with 120 retails locations in 36 states. Camping World sells everything from $100,000 Class A vehicles to more affordable Pop-Up campers and basically every camping accessory imaginable.

Under its Camping World Holdings umbrella, the company also operates Good Sam, a membership club that offers savings opportunities for RV-related products and general camping needs. The company is currently based in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

In June, Camping World filed plans to conduct an IPO that could raise up to $200 million. Over the last twelve months, the company has seen sales of $3.512 billion, with 2015 sales surging 25% to $3.3 billion. Camping World attributes its growth to new vehicle sales, backed by renewed consumer confidence and more available credit.

Camping World is an established brand with a large share of the US recreational vehicle market that also boasts impressive recent growth numbers. This formula could result in an impressive IPO that investors should be on the lookout for.

In the meantime, investors interested in IPOs should check out the special edition of Zacks Friday Finish Line, where Editor Maddy Johnson and Content Writer Ryan McQueeney interview Kathleen Smith of Renaissance Capital about the IPO market in 2016, including the possibility of a Camping World IPO:

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