Sailing Atlantic Services acquired by Groupe Beneteau
Groupe Beneteau has acquired French sailing specialist Sailing Atlantic Services, simultaneously confirming an investment in Les Sables d'Olonne for the development of a service centre in the Port Olona 3 area.
Sailing Atlantic Services, founded in 2000, specialises in the installation of navigation and safety equipment, boat customisation, maintenance, and storage. Based in Vendée, Les Sables d’Olonne in France, the company has been a long-standing partner of Group Beneteau for 25 years, and operates from a building of 400 m² and 2,000 m² of grounds with 11 employees.
It prepares new boats with turnkey solutions, as well as offering to supply and install additional options – each year, the site prepares between 130 and 150 boats, mainly for charter fleets operating in France and internationally, positioning Les Sables d’Olonne as a key location for the commissioning of Lagoon and Excess catamarans manufactured in Vendée by Groupe Beneteau.
Group Beneteau’s press release states that, by joining Groupe Beneteau, Sailing Atlantic Services will retain its regional roots and governance, continuing under the leadership of Sailing Atlantic Services’ CEO Denis Fauvet. He said:
“This merger is the natural progression of many years of partnership based on trust. It will enable us to expand our range of prestations and bring more services to our customers.”
Founded in Vendée 140 years ago by Benjamin Bénéteau, Groupe Beneteau designs and builds boats and services through its nine brands, including Wiziboat, Navigare Yachting, Lagoon and Delphia.
Its 6,500 employees work at 16 production sites in six countries, from France, the United States, and Poland to Italy, Portugal and Tunisia. Its Boat division offers more than 135 boat models from sailing and motoring, to monohull or catamaran. Its Boating Solutions division offers services including daily or weekly boat hire, marinas, the digital sector and financing.
Bruno Thivoyon, Chairman of the Groupe Beneteau Executive Board, commented:
“The acquisition of Sailing Atlantic Services is part of our commitment to building an ever more comprehensive range of services to enhance our customers’ experience. It draws on recognized expertise and strong regional roots, which are an integral part of the Group’s DNA.”
Alongside the acquisition, Groupe Beneteau has confirmed an investment of €3.3 million in Les Sables d’Olonne for the development of a service centre in the Port Olona 3 area, where the services of Sailing Atlantic Services will be set up. The project involves the construction of a building capable of accommodating larger LAGOON, EXCESS multihulls and PRESTIGE manufactured in Vendée, facilitating 300 launches per year, with commissioning scheduled for late 2027.
The specifications for this future building also include environmental requirements, with the installation of photovoltaic panels, a green roof, optimisation of surfaces to limit soil sealing, architecture focused on marine life and ecology, and compliance with ART 2020 standards.
Thivoyon concluded:
“Les Sables d’Olonne is a key location for the Group in the Vendée region: with this new hub at Port Olona 3, this investment will enable us to get closer to our customers and improve the quality of our service, so that we can support each customer with their sailing projects.”
Picture and caption courtesy of Groupe Beneteau:
Meeting with the SAS team led by Bruno Thivoyon, President of the Groupe Beneteau, and Denis Fauvet, current CEO.