Bucher and Walt relaunch Ronstan and Andersen in France
A historic player in the Swiss boating industry, the family-owned company Bucher et Walt has been in existence for 60 years. Since 2021, it has also been established in France, through its new agent, Kevin Troale. After the liquidation of the company Gréement Import in 2020, the famous Australian rigging company Ronstan no longer had a representative in France. He therefore approached his neighboring distributors, including Bucher and Walt, who finally agreed to add the country to his distribution area. "We thought about it and asked Kevin, whom we knew well, to represent us," explains Luzius Peter, sales manager at Bucher and Walt. Although Kevin Troale has managed Gréement Import in the past, the new venture with the Swiss distributor is entirely independent, the various players insist.
A wide range of fittings
In addition to the Ronstan Group brands, namely Ronstan and Andersen, Kevin Troale represents other brands from the Bucher and Walt catalog in France. "We also have Ropeye, Herts, BlueWave, the Italian Trem, Besto and Clamcleat cleats. We have around 30,000 references for France, with a 200-page catalog," he illustrates. The proposals cover a wide spectrum, from winches to pulleys and anchors.
A stock adapted to French boating
Although the agreement was put in place several months ago, Bucher & Walt preferred to postpone its communication in order to be sure to offer the quality service it wanted to shipyards and chandleries. "In France, we only work in BtoB. We took the time to create an adapted logistic scheme. The bilateral agreements with Switzerland facilitate deliveries and allow us to deliver duty free. We have adapted our stocks for the French boat fleet, with larger equipment, such as large Andersen winches, which are sold less in Switzerland. Our website allows the customer to have instant visibility on the availability of our products" says Kevin Troale.
In this area, he can count on the support of his parent company. Luzius Peter concludes: "We are a distributor with a large stock. Without stock, in the boating business, you don't sell anything!"
