Sunseeker International powerboat firm is celebrating a triumphant start to the boat show season following the successful Cannes Yachting Festival and Southampton Boat Show, with £70m of confirmed retail orders (exc. tax), and an expected £25m of additional orders to be agreed shortly.
At this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, Sunseeker launched four new models - the 95 Yacht, 116 Yacht, 68 MK II and Manhattan 52. The Cannes show, which is the first of the Autumn season, was extremely busy for Sunseeker with very high levels of visitors to the stand and pre-booked meetings with clients and prospects at a record high.
Sunseeker continued to see high levels of visitors at the Southampton Boat Show, the UK’s largest in-water boat show, and held a record number of pre-booked meetings with existing and new customers. In particular, interest in the new Manhattan 52 has been exceptional. This new yacht is Sunseeker’s smallest flybridge model in over a decade and exemplifies the latest in Sunseeker’s cutting-edge design. The Manhattan 52 is designed to maximise entertainment options, light and living space throughout the boat and it sets the design direction for a new wave of Manhattan models that will be introduced over the coming years.
Sean Robertson, Sales Director at Sunseeker International, commented: "This year’s Cannes and Southampton Shows have been truly excellent - we've enjoyed really positive events with substantial confirmed retail orders, on sales of 25 luxury motoryachts across the range, with an additional £25m of orders to be agreed shortly. We were particularly proud to host the world premier’s and UK debuts of our new models, the Manhattan 52, the Predator 68 MKII, the 95 Yacht and the 116 Yacht, all of which have been eagerly awaited by existing customers and those new to our brand. It's also been a real pleasure to welcome so many visitors and special guests to the stands, which included our graduate apprentices and the Minister of Transport the Rt Hon John Hayes MP at the Southampton Boat Show.”
The business also revealed at Cannes Yachting Festival that it moved back into profit in the second quarter of 2016 with a forecasted overall return to profit for the full year. The next five years will see a massive £50 million of investment spent across new products, improved shipyard facilities and the continued recruitment of people. Multiple model launches are set to continue as part of a long term product plan that will see new model introductions across the size range over the next five years including additions to the Manhattan range.
