Fora Marine: Bordeaux court decision postponed
The Bordeaux administrative court met on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 to rule on the file of the receivership of Fora Marine . The judge in charge of the procedure has decided to postpone his decision concerning the future of the Basque sailboat manufacturer RM. The magistrate in charge having changed during the procedure, the new judge has asked to meet the 2 candidates in the running for the takeover of Fora Marine. He should render his decision at the next hearing scheduled for February 5, 2020.
2 official candidates to take over the RM yachts
Officially filed in the registry, the names of the candidates are now public. The 2 offers are based on quite different structures:
- The Grand Large Yachting group, which already owns the monohull yacht brands Allures and Garcia and the catamarans Outremer and Gunboat
- Maxime Vedrenne, commercial director of RM sailboats for 7 years, associated with Mr. Olevier, industrialist, president of the company V-Motech, supplier of engineering and equipment for the automotive industry
2 different philosophies for RM
Pending the court's decision, the candidates did not wish to express themselves. However, the philosophy of the candidates seems different:
The one led by Maxime Vedrenne, an employee of Fora Marine, supported by an industrialist, seems to be in line with the recent history of RM. Whether during the Martin Lepoutre era or the more recent Aime Mer holding, the shipyard was already supported by capital provided by industrialists. The presence of current executives would add to the feeling of continuity.
The Grand Large Yachting group is a accustomed to external growth operations since its creation around the aluminum sailboats Allures in 2003. The 2 historical partners Xavier Desmarest and Stephan Constance, are supported by investment funds. After the renaissance of Gunboat, the RM market would be part of this dynamic, being able to benefit from industrial synergies and the group's reputation, particularly in ocean-going sailboats, the historic image of the Rochelais shipyard. The multi-material construction practiced by RM with its plywood hulls and composite decks is also a know-how mastered by Allures, which combines aluminum and composite.
