What if West Marine goes bankrupt?
In our research this week, we have read about the possibility that West Marine might declare bankruptcy as a result of general sales declines, having too many outlets and the corporation’s level of indebtedness. What we have read is that West Marine has been taken over by private equity funds on more than one occasion and those funds can refinance to actually take money out rather than put money in.
We see this as being not just a USA situation – many marine suppliers operate internationally and could get burned in the process as well as loose big volume. West Marine has more than 250 stores. That could impact our Canadian supply chain, pricing and delivery at the start of the season. We will be watching to see what happens.
Last week we asked if your marine business was ready for National Safe Boating Awareness Week.
Starting now to the week of May 16-22, 2026, there is a very good opportunity for companies in the marine industry to gain public awareness and positive momentum as we head into the start of the boating season.
In this edition of Boating Industry Canada News Week Digest, we have the full package of information and resources as supplied by the Canadian Safe Boating Council. It makes it simple for your business to get on the boating safety messages at the time of year when people are thinking about summer and boating.
Scroll down to the story and take a few minutes to click through and view te resources. This is an opportunity that you can take advantage of with little or no cost. Most of the Canadian Safe Boating Council information and materials are FREE for your business to download and use.
Andy Adams – Editor
