Solaris takes over the CNB Yacht brand
The Bénéteau Group made public on April 8, 2021 the sale of its high-end sailing boat brand CNB yacht. An agreement has been reached with the Italian custom and semi-custom yacht specialist Solaris. This is the first successful transaction, following the announcement by the French yachting leader of its intention to reduce its range of boats to eight brands instead of 12 as part of its Let's Go Beyond! strategic plan, presented in 2020.
Continuity of sailboat production
A transition period in the management of construction and marketing of CNB brand yachts is announced until 2022. Production of the CNB66 and CNB76 yachts will be gradually transferred to the Solaris factories located near the Italian factory in Monfalcone, where the Bénéteau Group had already moved its production historically located in Bordeaux in 2019. The contracts already signed will not be modified and Vincent Arnaud, current director of the CNB Yacht brand within the Bénéteau Group, will join Solaris to ensure continuity.
The Bénéteau Group says the sale will have no impact on maintaining jobs in Bordeaux and Monfalcone. The employees will be reassigned to the design and manufacture of its other boat brands.
Birth of a major player in the high-end yachting industry
The new alliance between Solaris and CNB Yacht creates a major player in the field of custom and semi-custom yachts. Although it also has a motor range, the Solaris brand, founded in 1974, has an important reputation in the high-end sailboat sector in a sector close to CNB. The Bénéteau Group took over CNB, then Construction Navale de Bordeaux, in the 1990s, integrating it into its large structure. He emphasizes that "by joining Solaris, the future of CNB yacht builders lies in a smaller, more responsive structure, adapted to the requirements of this exclusive market."
