On October 20, 2023, the Kervilor shipyard opens its new office dedicated to the X-Yachts brand in La Trinité sur Mer. Taken over in December 2022, the X-Yachts France distributor retains its presence in Port-Grimaud, but arrives in Southern Brittany on the premises of its new owner. Olivier Michaud, its manager, is delighted: "We're well identified in painting and ship repair, but we lacked a brand. Now we've got one."
Ramping up
The Breton shipyard based in La Trinité sur Mer is expanding its range of services. While painting remains one of the group's core businesses, employing six of the 19 employees, maintenance, distribution and electrification are gaining in importance. The shipyard is also exploiting e-commerce tools by marketing the impressive stock inherited when Olivier Michaud took over Kervilor in 2017 at the bar of the commercial court: "On the net, we resell fifteen years of Jeanneau spare parts stock, taken over with Kervilor."
Olivier Michaud sees it every day: "Refitting is taking up more and more space on our site. This activity employs up to 3 people. It's a challenge for the future: you only have to look around harbors to see that boat renewal is low. Refitting not only enhances the value of a boat for resale, but also improves safety at sea."
Refit and electrical
A point not to be overlooked in attracting a new, younger clientele: the difficult handover between generations is explained in particular by the different approach of people in their thirties and forties, who are more in control. Olivier Michaud confirms: "Risk control is a big concern. They want to be connected. This can go as far as knowing the boat's temperature, the humidity level. They like to spend their weekends in their boat, teleworking on it." Touch screens, GPS, mast-top thermal cameras... "We often imagine that refit is something global, something heavy, but it doesn't have to be."
Finally, Les Ateliers d'Olivier/Kervilor are keeping a close eye on the advent of electric boats. Olivier Michaud prefers to speak of "hybrid boats". The company is betting heavily on the X-Yacht XC47, the first version of which was presented in Barcelona this autumn.
