Hanse Yachts AG is entering the fast-growing catamaran segment with its parent company’s acquisition of a French catamaran builder.
Hanse Yachts parent European Aurelius Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA said it acquired a majority stake in the French catamaran builder Privilège.
Privilège will continue to exist as an independent brand, but the acquisition allows Hanse Yachts to enter the catamaran market, the company said.
With the exception of CEO Gilles Wagner, who will remain in office, all previous owners have sold their shares. The Privilège shipyard in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, will be maintained and expanded.
Hanse Yachts said all of the yachts Privilège is building will be handed over to their owners as planned and all current models will continue to be available for order.
“The high-margin catamaran market has seen particularly strong growth in the past years,” Aurelius executive board member Gert Purkert said in a statement. “Hanse Yachts has not been able to share in this development so far because it was not even possible to manufacture yachts of this breadth in the existing production facilities.”
The philosophy and products of Privilège are a good fit for Hanse Yachts and its corporate culture, Purkert said.
“The popular and well-known Privilège brand will complement the Hanse Yachts portfolio perfectly,” he said. “The Hanse Yachts production site in Greifswald is also expected to take over some building processes in the future. For example, we will examine whether some of the Privilège preliminary products that so far had to be purchased can be manufactured here.”
“Our remit is to build luxury catamarans that are especially sturdy,” said Wagner, the Privilège CEO. “Just like Hanse Yachts, we place a special emphasis on longevity, craftsmanship, design and simple handling for all of the yachts from our shipyard. The production methods of Privilège and Hanse Yachts are also very similar. In addition, Hanse Yachts is much larger than Privilège and has a global presence. As a result, we and our clients will benefit especially from the strong worldwide network of sales and service points.”
