Premier Marinas acquires Boatfolk
Premier Marinas has acquired Boatfolk, facilitated through investment provided by Premier Marina’s long-term owners Wellcome.
Boatfolk operates a marina portfolio of 11 UK locations, including Bangor, Conwy, Deacons, East Cowes, Haslar, Penarth, Portishead, Portland, Rhu, Royal Quays and Weymouth. The company also offers repairs and maintenance through its boatcare subsidiary, alongside onsite boatpoint brokerages. There is also a range of commercial property units available to rent for short and long-term lettings within the marinas.
Premier Marinas is based on the Hamble River at Lower Swanwick, and owns and operates a portfolio of 11 UK locations, including Brighton, Chichester, Falmouth, Gosport, Noss on Dart, Port Solent, Southsea, Sovereign Harbour (Eastbourne), Swanwick, Trafalgar Wharf, and Universal.
The company offers marina and dry stack berthing facilities for leisure craft which currently stands at around 6,000 vessels. It also provides boat storage ashore with full-service boatyards at each marina site operating some of the latest boat lifting and moving equipment.
A washdown service, alongside a wide range of marine engineering capabilities from onsite tenants, is also available.
There is also a portfolio over 480,000 sq m of commercial property across the marina sites, providing complementary services such as food and beverage, marine chandlery, boat maintenance and repair, boat sales and brokerage and sail making.
Premier Marinas is wholly owned by Wellcome, a global charitable foundation that exists to help everyone benefit from science’s potential to improve health and save lives.
This latest acquisition creates a combined portfolio of 22 UK locations.
Pete Bradshaw, Chief Executive of Premier Marinas, said:
“I am delighted to confirm that Premier Marinas have concluded the acquisition of Boatfolk following a formal sale process.
“In Boatfolk, we see a fantastic portfolio of marinas in great locations, a talented team, and a customer ethos that resonates with that of Premier Marinas. We have much in common, and my team looks forward to working with our new colleagues to unlock the benefits for all our customers.”
Boatfolk will continue to operate largely unchanged as plans are developed to align the businesses over the coming months and to unlock benefits for customers.