Bénéteau signs the acquisition of the Starfisher shipyard
The Bénéteau Group announced on October 20, 2021 the complete acquisition of the Portuguese shipyard Starfisher. This transaction comes 5 months after the announcement of exclusive negotiations with a view to "acquiring a significant share of the capital", the Vendée-based leader in the yachting industry said at the time. The company based in Campos in the north of the country, now fully integrated into the group, has been renamed GB Portugal.
Production capacities for dayboating
The Starfisher company, which until now has worked as a subcontractor for various brands, including a few from the Bénéteau Group since 2021, is set to work exclusively for the latter. "The trajectory should be comparable to that of the Delphia site in December 2018. Production will gradually become exclusively dedicated to the group, starting with our two flagship brands Jeanneau and Bénéteau. Production will be aimed at the entire global market, like the rest of our sites," Mirna Cieniewicz, communications director for the Bénéteau Group, tells us.
The manufacturer is thus acquiring new industrial capacity dedicated to the pleasure boat sector, which has seen the strongest demand since the Covid-19 pandemic, "dayboating", which within the group corresponds to motor boats under 40 feet. GB Portugal has 50,000 square meters, including 15,000 square meters of factory and warehouse space, which will complement the group's production sites in Poland and the United States.
Training and attractiveness for nautical workers
The Bénéteau Group is setting up in a geographical area already familiar to the nautical sector. Its main competitor, the Brunswick Group, has a factory there and has already announced its intention to double its capacity. The human resources issue will therefore be key in the employment basin.
"The site already employs 200 people, with teams who know their job well. The first step will obviously be to train the Portuguese teams in the Bénéteau Group's methods. There will also be a challenge of attracting qualified people to the GB Portugal plant," concludes the Bénéteau Group spokeswoman.
