Jeanneau power and sail largest marina presence at SCIBS

Iconic French marque, Jeanneau will be the most prominent presence on the marina this year, with both power and sail on show.

Jeanneau Australia and the Queensland importer, Mooloolaba Yacht Brokers, will host the Australian debut of the first of the stunning new deck saloon range, the Sun Odyssey 44DS.

Paying particular attention to feedback from Australian customers, the interior of the new 44DS has no fewer than 16 opening ports to give superb ventilation throughout. The owner’s cabin is especially catered for with a large opening port out to the transom offering a wide view.  

Pacific Motor Yachts will exhibit the powerboat range from Jeanneau, and host the Australian debut for the Jeanneau Leader 10, a 36ft sportscruiser, the NC9 and 8.5 Centre Console style, as well as the 440S sportyacht and 500 Flybridge in the Prestige range.

Says Brett Thurley: “This marks a new era in Australian marketshare and is certainly brought about by the strength of the Jeanneau/Prestige brand who have committed the resources and personal commitment of the CEO to fly from France to support the dealer network at the show.”

Mooloolaba Yacht Brokers Director, Ian Douglas has been a Jeanneau Distributor for over 10 years and says has never seen the brand better positioned. “Cutting edge designs and value for money are unsurpassed in the history of production boat building.”

Ian believes Australia is on the cusp of a lifestyle boom and has positioned Mooloolaba Yacht Brokers and Jeanneau Yachting Queensland to play a pivotal role in this. This is underpinned by Ian recently expanding the Queensland Jeanneau network with Sub Dealers, South East Yachting Qld at East Coast Marina, Manly, Great Barrier Reef Boat Sales in Airlie Beach and Niugini Yachts in Port Moresby selling the full range of Jeanneau yachts. Niugini Yachts also represent the Prestige Range for Mooloolaba Yacht Brokers.

Says Ian: “In this age of economic change, where investment in lifestyle is taking an ever increasing slice of investment in financial areas, it is a major consideration, that the company buyers  are dealing with is financially sound. The group of which Jeanneau is part, is the largest boat builder in the world and has a very diverse business portfolio. This strength and diversity allows Jeanneau to offer  continuous innovation in design and construction quality while delivering  outstanding value in a competitive market.”

Ian says his decision to make the 2012 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show their biggest to date is based on a firm belief in the future of Queensland as the premier lifestyle state in Australia.

Supporting their Australian distributors and dealers, Jean-Paul Chapeleau, General Manager of Jeanneau and Prestige, and Paul Blanc, Asia Pacific Marketing Manager will attend the show.

According to Jean-Paul Chapeleau, Australia is one of the brand’s major markets, evident by the company’s support of dealers at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show this year.

“We have a worldwide presence in 50 countries, but the major markets outside Europe remain the US and Australia, together with new markets such as Turkey, Brazil or China that develop at a fast pace.”

Pioneering vision and responding to client feedback are crucial to the evolution of the brand and its capacity to thrive during the GFC.

“Back in 1957, Henri Jeanneau was a pioneer of the fibreglass construction and since then the company has always stayed on the path of constant innovation in both design and production techniques,” recounts Chapeleau. “There is no doubt that our expertise in this domain accounts for a large part of our competitive advantage. We are also constantly listening to our customers, and with a network of 300 dealers all around the world the input is global.

“We translate the market requirements in innovative designs, while never compromising on seaworthiness, quality and value. Above all, Jeanneau remains close to its roots and is moved by passion. We are attached to the people that made the company, whether they are clients, dealers, partners or employees. The human factor is very important.”

In fact, he continues, the company viewed the GFC was viewed as “a time of opportunities”, rather than crisis. “Thanks to the financial strength of our Group, we increased significantly our investments to develop new products, as only innovation can keep interest up in a depressed market. We have today an offer of more than 50 models of boats, and most of these models have been launched since the 2008 crisis.”

Among the major recent developments, is the renewed Sun Odyssey line of sailboats and launches of the Jeanneau 53 and 57 Yachts. On the power side, Jeanneau developed a new concept with the NC line, and have taken big steps forward with its luxury motor yachts line, Prestige.

“All of these developments have proven to be successful and helped us to dramatically increase our market share everywhere.”

The brand, which Chapeleau acknowledges “attends a boat show virtually every week”, focuses on exhibitions including “Cannes, Paris, and Düsseldorf in Europe, Annapolis and Miami in the US, and in this part of the world Sanctuary Cove and Sydney”.

“Shows in new markets such as Hainan in China and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil are also taking off.”

As for potential in this region, Chapeleau says the brand has “strong ambitions here”.

“Jeanneau sailboats have been popular in Australia for a long time, but the latest additions to our Sun Odyssey line such as the 409 or 44DS have further reinforced our position. We sent a strong signal by doing the World Premiere of the 379 in Australia last year, and we’re involving our Australian distributors in our plans for future models.

“On the power side of the business, we’ve recently developed a strong dealer network to distribute Prestige and Jeanneau powerboats. The response to the products has been great, helped by the interesting exchange rates. We are presenting our best powerboats display ever in Australia in Sanctuary Cove and feel there is a big potential for growth here.”

At the 2012 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Chapeleau says his main objective is “to sense the market and listen to dealers”, as well as getting feedback from clients.

“I wish to show our commitment to develop professional, long-term relationship with the consumers through our dealers. Moreover we are presenting at Sanctuary Cove four brand new models that showcase our innovative design capabilities: the Sun Odyssey 44DS, the NC9, the Cap Camarat 8.5CC and the Prestige 500. I am here to support the Premiere of these models in the Southern Hemisphere.”

A vast horizon beckons in terms of R&D and the GM promises the company “will not slow down”.

“We have already a lot of new products planned for the end of 2012, new additions to existing lines as well as completely new concepts. It is too early to disclose anything but we’ll definitely continue to bring to the market quality boats that bring an innovative approach to any boating needs.”

More at www.yachtbroker.com.au and www.pacificmotoryachts.com.au