Investing in boater services
Whether virtual or physical, our western society is a world of services. Boating is no exception to the rule. Concierge services, boat clubs and boat rentals continue to flourish, even though the latter has suffered the consequences of the health crisis. All the major manufacturers are now interested. The Brunswick Group owns Freedom Boat Club and the Bénéteau Group, which was slowing down a few years ago to leave its role as a boat builder, is now a shareholder in two major rental companies: Dream Yacht Charter and Navigare Yachting, as well as Your Boat Club.
Very logically, this trend is also of interest to other major groups, such as equipment manufacturers. After initiating its approach in 2018, Yanmar has just taken control of the rental platform GetMyBoat .
Multiplying boat brands to meet the needs of boaters
We can also see the segmentation of markets in the boating industry. Rather than responding to the needs of all boaters under a single brand name, manufacturers prefer to create new brands or revive old names to offer boats under a different name for each use. The Bénéteau Group regularly presents its desire to have a leading brand and a challenger brand in every niche. The recent success of American brands - probably also helped by the context of scarcity - seems to prove him right.
To be less subject to the variations of the nautical market
For the major groups, the challenge is also to remain robust in the face of the vagaries of the economic context. While the new boat market is subject to rapid variations and regular crises, equipment manufacturers and boat builders are looking for diversifications to be less dependent on it. Whether it is services for boat builders, or aftermarket brands for equipment manufacturers, in the image of Dometic the approach is the same.
There remains a challenge for the consumer yachtsman: that diversification and concentration within the major groups does not mean the end of the diversity of the offer for yachtsmen.
