20 marine sector focus Business is plain sailing
The air of optimism in the marine industry following 2013’s PSP Southampton Boat Show continues, with Solent businesses returning from the London Boat Show at ExCel in similar good spirits.
Hampshire-based logistics specialist PSP aims to add £1 million to its turnover by using its sponsorship of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to create new business opportunities.
The Cape Town visit of the race saw PSP secure a new South African partner and unlock a series of new business connections. As well as a contract to ship Fairline luxury yachts from Cape Town to Angola, PSP is signing a deal
with South African wine producer Rickety Bridge, which exports all around the world. It is also in negotiations to ship 10 football- shaped boats to Rio in time for the Brazil World Cup 2014.
Darron Strange, financial director at PSP, said: “Although we’ve been Clipper’s logistics partner for a number of years, the opportunity arose to take it to another level. We are a worldwide logistics company and so this worldwide challenge seemed to go hand in hand. Some of the destination ports we are strong in and others less so, so this is a great way of strengthening our position in some of these target areas and South Africa is an area we are looking to grow in.
“We have developed a lot of potential new business. We went to see 12 companies while we were over there and we can honestly say we came back with 12 friends.
It was that
positive. We didn’t have any real link to South Africa and now have all this opportunity. The ambition is for Cape Town to be a very strong port for us in the future.“
PSP has big plans for the Sydney, Brisbane, Singapore, Qingdao, Panama, San Francisco, New York and Jamaica stopovers before returning to Europe in the summer.
Southampton remains a strong selling platform; people visit the annual Southampton Show to buy boats and with an increased audience of 111,963 (+2%) in 2013, visitors got out on the water, talked to boating experts and personalities and spent money. Murray Ellis, managing director at National Boat Shows, said: “The 2013 Show was another world-class event; people visit to buy boats.“
Poole-based Sunseeker, sold last year to China’s richest man Wang Jianlin for £300m, has focused on new markets, with super-rich clients emerging from China, Russia, Brazil and Mexico. More than half of the 35-year-old British company’s customers now come from outside Europe.
Gavin and Stacey star James Corden helped launch the Sunseeker 75 yacht at the London Boat Show. The boat show is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, but the 75 Yacht was the star of the show, featuring three double suites, leather-wrapped cabinetry and a wet bar on the rear deck.
Hudson Wight takes marine leisurewear market head on
Hudson Wight might be the new kid on the block among the myriad of sailing clothing brands in the UK marine leisure market, but the team behind this latest apparel brand, described as ’performance sailwear’, is in it for the long haul.
It is currently rolling out the Hudson Wight Affiliate Scheme UK-wide too, to offer sailing clubs and class associations an entirely new source of revenue.
The latest recruit to the Cowes-based business, is the marine leisure marketing and PR expert Peta Stuart-Hunt, who was appointed marketing director just prior to the London Boat Show. With 30 years in the marine leisure market, 15 of which were spent promoting one of the world’s top sailing clothing brands, she said: “This is a truly exciting opportunity for me, to work alongside a super-positive and talented team to help bring a new brand and a new concept in selling it to a very competitive market.“
Hudson Wight combines sailing experience, proven fabric technology and design and
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manufacturing expertise to produce great looking, lightweight and breathable ’offshore spec’ gear at less than half the price of other brands by supplying direct to the customer.
Selling direct via the Internet to the end user at what would normally be a wholesale price, the brand, targeted at sailors racing and cruising inshore and offshore, was launched during Cowes Week last August and exhibited at the PSP Southampton Boat Show.
With 600-plus sailing clubs, class associations, sailing schools and associated organisations actively working to promote sailing as a sport around the UK, it may strike some people as odd that the vast majority do not sell sailing clothing. However, Hudson Wight is the latest brand of performance sailwear to enter the technical end of the clothing market, providing an effective framework from which sailing clubs and associations can sell specialist clothing to members, while adding to their bottom line.
Stewart McIntyre, Sunseeker MD, said: “This is Europe’s first Boat Show of 2014 and we can’t think of a better way of starting the year than to debut this eagerly anticipated yacht and showcase some of our latest models.“
Sunseeker is reportedly looking at other regional sites, among them Southampton, as potential future boatbuilding locations, including part of the former Vosper Thornycroft site at Woolston, which offers capacity for building bigger boats.
With the start of the new year came the Island Sailing Club (ISC) announcement, also at the London Boat Show, that the title sponsorship of the iconic Round the Island Race will continue to reside with JP Morgan Asset Management for a further two-year period up to and including 2016.
The Island Sailing Club, based at Cowes, and organiser of the famous annual one-day Round the Island Race, first held in 1931 and which takes place this year on June 21, has enjoyed an enduring and constantly-evolving relationship with JP Morgan.
Jasper Berens, head of UK funds business at JP Morgan Asset Management, said: “Involvement in sailing continues to be thoroughly rewarding, not just in terms of our brand, but also in helping us connect with our existing and potential clients.“
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – FEBRUARY 2014
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