Taking over a company on a human scale
At a time when many French people are asking themselves questions about the place of work, globalisation and the organisation of society, the network of nautical SMEs is attracting more and more new entrepreneurs. The career path of Christophe Foulon, who took over the Atelier Nautique de Kerollaire (ANK), a boat dealer and maintenance yard in the Morbihan region, is similar to those recently mentioned in our columns about the new general manager of the company Sailing Technique Harold Baseden or the couple Chatillon, at the head of Tenderlift . "I've been a passionate sailor since I was a child. Engineer by training, I have worked in industry in production, always in plant management, with the aspects of maintenance, logistics and supply, in France and abroad. As my career progressed, I missed the proximity of the teams and the day-to-day decision-making. I wanted to return to France to take over a company on a human scale. And also to combine passion and work" testifies the new ANK manager.
Strong boat brands
Christophe Foulon sees strong development potential in ANK. "The strong points of the company are its 2 sites, the distribution of strong brands, with Zodiac, 3DTender, Ocqueteau in boats, Sunway in trailers and Yamaha in engines. Also the 20 years of history of the Atelier Nautique de Kerollaire, its team in place with experience and skills, the location on the Rhuys peninsula. The first challenge is to keep things established. There is great potential for development with the new commercial centre in Arzon, which has been in place for less than 2 years, its large showroom with codes that are a little out of nauticalism and are close to what is done in the car or motorcycle industry. We are also going to develop the services around wintering, and relaunching" illustrates the manager.
ANK is also one of the dealers that accompany the ocqueteau's new team to relaunch the shipyard in the Oleron area . "We have a good response from the clientele for the relaunch of the Ostrea range, with a good image of quality and Made In France. The time when Ocqueteau disappeared from the market was short enough for the customers and the know-how of the team, part of which was already in the yard. We've been with the relaunch since the beginning" says Christophe Foulon.
Sailboats in the future?
ANK employs 10 people in 2021. Since the takeover of the company at the end of 2020, the team has already grown by securing 2 new employees. "We are preparing the future with apprentices, especially in the workshop. In the longer term, as I tend to sail, why not also offer a sailing boat brand. There are already quite a few at Crouesty, so we have to take the time to think about it," concludes Christophe Foulon.
