who owns camping world
Camping World Ownership Overview Camping World, the major U.S. retailer of
recreational vehicles (RVs), parts, and camping gear, operates as a subsidiary
of the publicly traded Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:
CWH).<grok:richcontent id="eb3a1e" type="render_inline_citation">
</grok:richcontent> Founded in 1966 by David Garvin, it has expanded to over
215 stores across 43 states as of March 2024, with brands like Good Sam,
FreedomRoads, and Coleman under its umbrella.<grok:richcontent id="578f89"
type="render_inline_citation">
</grok:richcontent><grok:richcontent id="fd5e5c"
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Key Leader: Marcus Lemonis
Marcus Lemonis stands as the most prominent figure tied to Camping World,
serving as Chairman and CEO of Camping World Holdings since its 2016 IPO,
where it raised $251 million.<grok:richcontent id="a1b2c3"
type="render_inline_citation">
</grok:richcontent><grok:richcontent id="d4e5f6"
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</grok:richcontent> As the top insider shareholder with 526,718 shares
(per Dec 2023 data), he co-owns the company alongside private equity firm
Crestview Partners and maintains substantial control through entities like ML
Acquisition and ML R.V. Group.<grok:richcontent id="789abc"
type="render_inline_citation">
</grok:richcontent><grok:richcontent id="def123"
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</grok:richcontent> Lemonis, known from CNBC's The Profit , has driven
growth, including making Coleman the #1 U.S. travel trailer brand by volume in
January 2024.<grok:richcontent id="456ghi" type="render_inline_citation">
</grok:richcontent>
Shareholder Breakdown
Since going public, ownership is distributed among institutions, insiders, and retail investors. Here's the structure from late 2023 data:
Shareholder Type| Key Holders| Ownership %| Shares (approx.)
---|---|---|---
Institutional| Abrams Capital| 11.33%| 5.11 million 1
| Vanguard Group| 8.95%| N/A 1
| BlackRock Inc.| 7%| N/A 1
Insiders| Marcus Lemonis (CEO)| N/A (personal: 2.67% total insiders)|
526,718 1
| Stephen Adams (Director)| N/A| 258,335 1
Stock Classes| Class A: 1 share| N/A| 1 1
| Class B: 39.47M shares| N/A| 39,466,000 1
| Class C: 49.57M shares (41.96M free float)| N/A| 49,571,058 1
About 280 institutions hold stakes, reflecting broad investor interest in the
RV market's resilience post-recession.<grok:richcontent id="jkl456"
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Recent Developments (2024-2026)
- Leadership Changes : In 2024, President Brent Moody and CFO Karin Bell announced retirements. COO Matthew Wagner became President, and Tom Kirn took over as CFO, signaling a smooth transition under Lemonis.
- Growth Trends : Store count rose 10.3% year-over-year to 215 by March 2024, with ongoing expansion plans amid RV lifestyle popularity.
- Public Perception : Forums and news highlight Lemonis's hands-on style, though some discuss stock volatility tied to RV sales cycles—no major ownership shifts reported into 2026.
TL;DR : No single entity "owns" Camping World outright—it's publicly held via CWH, led and significantly controlled by Marcus Lemonis , with top institutional backers like Abrams Capital.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.