With production value standing at €850m, up €100m on the previous year, Azimut|Benetti Group closes the 2020/21 yachting season with great satisfaction.
Despite a physiological production slowdown due to shift organization issues resulting from anti-Covid policies and the more recent procurement problems in the supply chain, the Group has happily seized the moment of commercial exuberance that has characterised the last 6 months, with its two Azimut Yachts and Benetti brands delivering a total of 245 boats.
This figure is dominated by the most appealing models on the market, thanks to their distinctive characteristics in terms of design, innovative technology and sustainability.
The stand-outs are Azimut Yachts’ new flagship, the Trideck, of which 10 units had already been sold before the official debut at Cannes 2021, and Benetti’s Oasis 40M, which to date has sold 14 units in the 2020/21 season. Also worthy of note is the unprecedented success of the Verve 47, the outboard positioned at the high premium end of the segment, of which a total of 55 units have been sold (30 in the year just ended).
It should also be remembered that more than half the value of production (about €570m of the total 850) refers to boats over 80 feet in length, a segment in which the Group's leadership has been further consolidated as a result of growing popularity on the international market.
But the most satisfying result is the order book, which has increased three-fold compared to the previous season and now stands at €1.2bn, of which about 900 for models over 80 feet in length. Of this €900m, 508m were booked in the last 90 days, net of boats delivered in this period.
At geographical level, while there is confirmation that sales are balanced across the three main continents, the APAC region has leapt forward, rising to 15% of total sales and proving to be a particularly promising market.
“I close my first year as Group CEO,” said Marco Valle, “fully aware that we have achieved the challenging objectives we set ourselves. I am also looking ahead to the upcoming season buoyed by the excellent order book, which has practically saturated production for the year that has just begun, and I am very confident that the new projects we are working on will allow us to continue along our organic growth path in the medium term too.”
Valle’s words were echoed by Giovanna Vitelli, Group Executive Vice President: “It is a source of pride for me to see that the industrial strategy defined by the Company, based on the development of products that are increasingly innovative and visionary, continues to prove successful. Today our biggest challenge is to continue our research into environmental sustainability. After definitively achieving our goal of reducing consumption
(by at least 40%) and therefore emissions, through the use of carbon fiber and optimised hulls and propulsion systems, we are working on other technical solutions to offer yachts that are ever more respectful of the environment.”
The Group confirms investments in Research and Development of over €100m in the three-year period.