Motorboat and cat sales boost Bénéteau
Groupe Bénéteau has reported that strong sales in Europe have helped drive significant revenue growth of near 7% for its marine brands, for the nine months ending in May. The group also points to a strong volume of fleet orders and sales in the outboard motorboat segment. The report says that 44% of its sales were generated in sailing yachts, in particular catamarans.
The financial results have helped encourage the world’s largest boatbuilder to go on a spending spree. Bénéteau acquired the Slovenian small performance yacht company Seascape (above) in July. Just three days later it signed a similar agreement with the Polish yard Delphia Yachts.
The two Mini Transat sailors Andraž Mihelin and Kristian Hajnšek, who founded Seascape in 2008, will continue to work on the development of the brand. Delphia, meanwhile, will only retain 20% of its operations, which include sailing and motor yachts under the Delphia Yachts and Maxi Yachts labels.
It will be interesting to see how this affects other brands for which Delphia currently builds, and what will happen with the Delphia liftkeel cruising yacht range.
The Seascape acquisition is a smart one. This is a vibrant young company that has already won acclaim for its sportsboat designs from Sam Manuard, which currently range from 14-27ft. These are boats that encourage people afloat to enjoy fast, easy sailing on a moderate budget.
“We have a history with
First and the partnership with Seascape will open new roots for the best possible sports cruisers in the market,” Bénéteau’s general manager Gianguido Girotti told us. “Delphia is a strategic asset for the growing demand of production of outboard boats.”
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