Bénéteau inaugurates a digital and tightened up communication
Following the cancellation of the Cannes Yachting Festival, the Bénéteau Group's traditional back-to-school press conference could not be held physically. Following the online announcement of its strategic plan, the event was held again on the internet, providing an opportunity for Gianguido Girotti, Vice President in charge of Brands, to discuss the influence of the situation on the Group's communication. "This new normality will also change the way we communicate with our dealers and customers."
Beyond the form, the presentation was also more limited in the number of products. Each year, the group boasted several dozen new products at the Cannes presentations, while the 2020 motor vintage only featured 11 boats, some of which had already been put forward during the winter of 2019/2020. Only the Jeanneau, Bénéteau and Prestige brands benefited from a detailed presentation. The Four Winns novelties are still awaited for the Fort Lauderdale boat show, while Gianguido Girotti is showing the Polish shipyard Delphia's appetite for the US inland navigation market. Concerning the Scarab, Glastron and Monte Carlo Yachts brands, which the group announced in July that they will no longer be part of the portfolio by 2025, the vice-president simply states that "production will continue. The boats will be present at the boat shows that will take place." In response to questions, he points out that the assumptions are open between joint venture and full sale.
Bigger and better equipped boats
Through each of the brands, a strategic positioning seems to stand out. Model renewal and development are focused on the upper fringe of the boat ranges, from the Leader 12.5 WA to the Prestige 690S and Prestige X70 launches, via the Grand Trawler 62 and the Antares 11 Fly. "We have chosen to invest in the top end of the range to accompany Leader owners towards bigger boats," confirms Paul Blanc, in charge of the Jeanneau brand.
The launch of the X Line Prestige range confirms this desire. Presented as a "private island", the Prestige X70 is the largest boat ever built in the Jeanneau factories in Les Herbiers, having required the acquisition of new skills within the shipyard. "It will enable us to reposition the brand in the global market, with a 70-foot launch where you feel like you're in a 90-foot boat," says Erwin Bamps, head of the Prestige brand. Asked about this positioning in relation to the experience of Monte Carlo Yachts, from which the group is withdrawing, Gianguido Girotti insists on the strength of Prestige. "We have set up two ranges in parallel, but Prestige has managed to create a distribution network with great success up to 80 feet. Monte Carlo Yachts has operated in other sizes that are today outside the group's ambitions."
The new Merry Fisher 795, the core of the market, with higher engine power and air conditioning on lithium batteries, demonstrates the Group's determination to focus on top-of-the-range equipment and features on all boat sizes.
Boat clubs and fuel consumption to prepare for the transition
Future developments in the market and for boaters are also outlined through the presentation of the boats. Luca Brancaleon, Director of the Bénéteau brand, mentions, without going into detail, the fact that the development of boat clubs has been taken into account in the design of the Flyer 9: "We are thinking about this for all models, as these are opportunities for growth. There is already a good Boat Club business in Europe, even if it is not as mature as in the United States. The optimal boat still doesn't exist, but new concepts are being developed. We'll talk about it again in 2021."
The ecological transition is timidly evoked through energy consumption efforts. The Grand Trawler 62 is 65% more economical than gliding boats of the same size according to the manufacturer. While he says that "people are ready for slow boats", Luca Brancaleon adds that they always give them the power to go fast for a while. "Average speeds are now lower on all the boats in our range, as yachtsmen nowadays prefer to have more options and equipment on board."
