Groupe Beneteau focuses on boating – enters exclusive negotiations with Trigano for the sale of its Housing business
May 15, 2023
Groupe Beneteau is announcing that it has entered exclusive negotiations with Trigano, a European market leader for leisure vehicles, concerning the sale of its Housing business, specialized in manufacturing leisure homes for the camping tourism sector in particular.
The operation would be based on taking over full control of its subsidiary BIO Habitat, including the O’Hara, IRM and Coco Sweet brands, as well as all of its employees in France and Italy, and its current leadership team. This would enable it to continue with its growth, particularly on international markets, while benefiting from the development synergies opened up for it by Trigano’s long-established activities.
This proposed sale sets out Groupe Beneteau’s commitment to focusing its development on the boat markets, its longstanding core business, enabling it to:
• accelerate the growth and premiumization of its Boat division’s nine brands, covering four market segments today (dayboating, real estate on the water, monohull sailing and multihull sailing).
• accelerate its development in new boat-related activities, particularly in terms of uses, digital and personalized services for end customers.
• accelerate its technological transformation linked in particular to environmental challenges and stakes, such as using recycled and recyclable materials or integrating alternative propulsion solutions across 100% of its product offering by 2030.
Bruno Thivoyon, Groupe Beneteau Chief Executive Officer: “We are very proud of what the Housing division teams have accomplished since it was created in 1994. By linking up with Trigano, the Housing business would fully benefit from the opportunities for development opened up for it by the ecosystem of a major European player for leisure equipment and vehicles. The Housing division would become one of its main growth drivers.
For Groupe Beneteau, this proposed sale would mark a major step forward. It would enable it to focus its development, innovations and continued pursuit of excellence on the boat market, while moving forward with its mission, Bringing Dreams to Water: facilitating access to the world of boating for as many people as possible, by creating simple, innovative and sustainable solutions for life”.
The operation could be carried out by the end of FY 2023. It remains subject to the procedures for informing and consulting with the employee representative bodies and obtaining approval from the competition authorities.
ABOUT GROUPE BENETEAU
Founded in Vendée 139 years ago by Benjamin Bénéteau, Groupe Beneteau today has international industrial capabilities, with 22 production sites, and a global sales network. In 2022, Groupe Beneteau recorded €1.5bn of revenues, employing around 8,000 people, primarily in France, the United States, Poland, Italy and Portugal.
A global market leader, Groupe Beneteau, thanks to its Boat division’s nine brands, offers more than 150 recreational boat models serving its customers’ diverse navigational needs and uses, from sailing to motorboating, monohulls and catamarans.
Through its Boating Solutions division, the Group is also present in the daily or weekly rental services, marina, digital and financing sectors.
Its Housing division is a major European player for leisure homes, lodges and pods, with its three brands offering a wide range of products. It has 900 employees across six production sites in France and one in Italy, and generated €257.2m of revenues in 2022.
