Dufour Expands in U.S. w/New Dealer
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Sailboat manufacturer Dufour has announced it is making a push into the North American market spearheaded by the appointment of a new dealer to target US east coast sales. As reported by International Boating Industry, Atlantic Cruising Yachts (ACY) joins the French builder’s current 10-strong dealer network in the region and will handle sales from south of New York down to Florida. The dealer is taking delivery of three new Dufours (390, 430 and the new 530) in the coming weeks.
Reprinted from International Boat Industry (IBI) --
A Strong Presence
"North America knows the Dufour brand, it’s still strong in the mind of people for the design of our boats,” said Laurent Fabre, Dufour & Fountaine Pajot marketing representative for North America. “Yes, it’s a European product but one that’s very appealing to US customers — for instance, the use of wood inside, the solid hulls, use of Corian in galleys and heads — little details that talk to the North American public even more so perhaps than French or European buyers.”
For North American customers, Dufour has designed specific layouts, integrated cup holders, generators, and air-conditioning on most of its boats. They are now also offered with a short keel option and a four-cabins, four-heads version, to satisfy demanding markets like Florida.
In a virtual press conference yesterday, Dufour said that as well as pushing ahead with growth in the US, its mission was to launch three new models a year. The French yard, which joined the Fountaine Pajot portfolio in 2018, currently builds a range of nine models up to 61ft. In 2019 it built 400 boats with 500 employees.
Consumer Enthusiasm Reported
Asked by IBI about the impact of Covid-19, Fabre said that the yard had received “very few cancellations” referencing a cancelled deal from just one small charter company. “March and April were quiet but we’ve had more and more leads coming from website and dealers getting more and more activity now.” Fabre noted an upbeat mood among customers, keen to get back out on the water. “We’ve had lots of enquiries for the big boats – the 61 and 530. It is really surprising the amount of activity we’ve had.”
The builder has delivered 50 boats since lockdown began in March. Since then Dufour has been busy creating a series of videos to reach out to dealers and customers, explaining the latest developments at the yard and also showing off new models. It has also developed a ‘virtual Dufour marina’ so prospective clients can check out the range. The ‘marina’ attracted some 30,000 visits within the first two weeks of going live.
ACI president Chris Bent echoed the positivity, adding that the dealer had had 30 boats on order pre-Covid-19 and of those just one had dropped off. “The last two weeks have been the strongest period for new boats sales we’ve ever seen. Brokerage boats are flying off too,” he added.
Atlantic Cruising Yachts is one of the largest sailing yacht dealerships in North America delivering 50-plus new yachts a year since 2017, registering approximately US$40m in new boat sales annually. It has several offices in different cities in the region: Annapolis, Charleston, Ft Lauderdale and St Petersburg. It was previously the largest Jeanneau sailboat dealer in North America and it is the largest Fountaine Pajot catamaran dealership worldwide.