Jeanneau Freedom Boat Club Agreement
Recreational boat builder Jeanneau announced Monday, February 12, 2018, an agreement with Freedom Boat Club (FBC). Present through more than 150 bases in the United States and Canada, FBC is a major player in the boat club sector across the Atlantic. All members of the Jeanneau brand's European network will be offered the opportunity to open an FBC base.
The choice of partnership
Jeanneau's approach is different from that of Bénéteau, which has just created its own boat club. However, it is the result of a group reflection, explains Jean-Paul Chapeleau, Jeanneau's general manager. "It's the result of two parallel initiatives within the Bénéteau group. We had been looking for some time at what was happening in the boat club sector, which enables us to attract people who don't want to invest in a boat. In any case, not immediately. At Bénéteau, leading dealers wanted to set up their own offer. On our side, we had already created a link with Freedom Boat Club to whom we have been supplying Merry Fishers in the US for a year. While we were thinking about our strategy, FBC told us that they wanted to develop in Europe, which is difficult from the US. It was a perfect fit in our thinking."
25 Boat Clubs for Summer 2018
After defining a strategy in the summer of 2017, tests were conducted with key dealers starting at Nautic 2017 to define the necessary resources. "FBC now offers a well-made and efficient package to Jeanneau dealers to reach the right customers by choosing the right boats and the right people. The goal is to reach 25 Jeanneau FBC bases in the summer of 2018 in Europe." says the Jeanneau director. A first meeting between FBC and Jeanneau dealers is planned for the Miami boat show.
Strengthen the network
European Jeanneau dealers will work under direct franchise with FBC. "We are the link. Our interest is to strengthen our network by allowing it to develop complementary activities and to spread our brand. If there is no exclusivity, it is a very strong priority."
