BRITTANY FERRIES | BUSINESS PROFILE
ON COURSE FOR CONTINUED PROGRESS BRITTANY FERRIES
www.brittanyferries.co.uk
GROWING THE MARKET “As in any other business,” says Steve Warner, Managing Director UK, “our response to economic challenges has been to improve efficiency and reduce costs. But we have had to achieve this without any reduction in quality or choice for our customers. Indeed, we have also had to be more innovative, recently introducing a new product – Brittany Ferries économie – between Portsmouth and Le Havre, and Portsmouth and Santander to provide a ‘no- frills’ service for those seeking a bargain and who are prepared to forego some of the benefits associated with the main brand. It has been a great success and has grown the market at both ends of the routes.” In pursuit of its policy of “responsible
capitalism”, which avoids short-term gains at long-term cost, Brittany Ferries demonstrates great respect for the environment. The company is embarking on an ambitious plan to spend £60 million over the next two years modifying its fleet to reduce harmful emissions. The past 42 years have seen Brittany
Who’d have imagined that a small freight vessel transporting artichokes and cauliflowers from Roscoff to Plymouth in 1973 would spawn a major force in UK tourism? But that’s how Brittany Ferries was born, conceived by Breton farmers wanting to ship their fresh produce to the newest member of the Common Market – the UK. It has since grown to become one of the biggest providers of holidays – including gîtes, villas, campsites and hotels – to British people travelling to the Continent.
TAKING THE LONG VIEW Brittany Ferries is part of a portfolio of developments undertaken by the same farmers and their offspring who demonstrated such vision four decades ago. Ferry operating and farming are both capital-intensive and depend on many risky, uncontrollable factors, including exchange rates, consumer demands and the weather. This has made the company very
resilient, taking decisions based not on short- term expediency but on long-term benefits. That is why, instead of using cheaper options, Britanny Ferries operates under the French flag and employs French crew, ensuring that British passengers’ holidays start the moment they board. It’s also why, when many companies have moved their call centres to India, it has maintained one operating to the highest standards in Plymouth. And it’s why the company invests in original artworks for its ships (they have over 2,000 pieces) in order to enrich their customers’ experience. For Brittany Ferries, quality cannot be compromised. Britanny Ferries has a small but growing
clientele of French holidaymakers, but its major market remains the UK. With 80 per cent of its earnings derived in British sterling and most of its costs borne in euros (for its French crews) and dollars (for fuel), it can suffer when the pound is weak.
“ BRITTANY FERRIES EMPLOYS FRENCH CREW, ENSURING THAT PASSENGERS’ HOLIDAYS START THE MOMENT THEY BOARD”
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Ferries grow from just one route and one freighter to a company linking Britain, Ireland, France and Spain with nine routes and a fleet that includes luxury cruise-ferries. It’s a far cry from one boat transporting artichokes and cauliflowers – but the same pioneering spirit and desire for efficiency survives, and its roots remain very firmly in the West Country and Brittany where it all began.
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