Total abandonment of the Avon brand of semi-rigids
In mid-September 2020, the Zodiac Nautic Group announced that the latest model marketed under the Avon brand, the semi-rigid eJet, would be part of the Zodiac range. The definitive abandonment of the Avon name is justified by Zodiac Nautic's international ambitions and the strength of the Zodiac name. " We realized that we had a stronger fighting force with the name Zodiac. The United States is an important market for our development and Avon is not known there at all. There was already only one boat, the eJet, in the Avon range since the rest of the boats were brought under the Zodiac banner through the Yacht Line a year and a half ago "says Fanny Revert, Marketing Director of Zodiac Nautic.
3 boat brands with specific markets
The new organization strengthens the role of the three remaining brands in Zodiac Nautic's portfolio. Each has a defined market. " Zodiac is the premium and yachting brand, Bombard, which does not operate in the United States but is well known in Europe, is the entry-level brand and the new AKA brand is aimed at professionals. The aim is to refocus on what we know how to do "says Fanny Revert.
eJet: 1st step into the electric semi-rigid
Presented in 2018, the first semi-rigid boat developed under the Avon brand, the eJet is reaching commercial maturity. " Since the presentation, improvements have been made to the hull, batteries and controls. One person is entirely dedicated to its manufacture in Pessac in the Gironde, with a gap in the finish that has been bridged towards the top of the range. 2 boats have been sold in the United States and we have a lot of leads in progress. We are going to organize production to accelerate "explains the marketing manager.
For this unique boat, Zodiac Nautic is setting up a new commercial strategy. " The eJet is a new market. It will be offered by all Zodiac dealers, but we also need to find new distribution channels for this atypical boat and set out to conquer the toy market " says Fanny Revert.
An electric boat market to be built
Beyond the eJet, Zodiac is taking a cautious economic approach to the electric boat, even though it has high ambitions. " There are several projects in the pipes. Zodiac gave birth to the RIB and we want to be the brand that gives birth to the electric RIB. However, we will wait to see the results of the eJet before making further investments "concludes Fanny Revert.
