Sailogy joins forces with Borrow A Boat. The transaction was announced last week in Munich. Both companies are part of the Five Seasons Yachting Group. The group says it wants to expand its position in the European market for digital boat and yacht charters.
Borrow A Boat was formed in 2024 from the merger of Borrow A Boat and Zizoo Yachts. Zizoo had hit the headlines in 2023 because customer payments had not been passed on to charter companies. YACHT-Online had reported on this.
Master Yachting, which has been active on the German-speaking market since 1990, has been part of the Sailogy platform for several years. Master Yachting is one of the most renowned providers in the German-speaking yacht charter segment.
Over 25,000 charter yachts on offer
Sailogy claims to offer access to more than 25,000 yachts in over 1,000 destinations worldwide. The company operates its own technology platform. Borrow A Boat is primarily active in the UK market, but also in Germany and other European countries. The company can draw on a loyal customer base and long-standing relationships with partners and fleet providers.
The Five Seasons Yachting Group describes itself as an integrated provider in the international yacht charter market. According to the group, it combines digital sales strength, technological expertise and operational experience. Specific sales figures or customer numbers were not disclosed in the course of the merger.
Utilising synergies and strengthening market position
The Group expects the integration to generate significant synergies. These include savings in fixed costs, the bundling of technology, marketing and administrative functions as well as more efficient operational processes. Further potential lies in joint customer access, consolidated supplier relationships and focussed further development of the platform.
Borrow A Boat will be fully integrated into Sailogy's digital infrastructure. Sinan Masovic moves from the position of CEO at Borrow A Boat to Group CFO of Five Seasons Yachting Group. Other members of Borrow A Boat's senior management will take on senior operational roles within Sailogy. A representative of the Borrow A Boat shareholders will join the Board of Directors of Five Seasons Yachting Group.
Further takeovers planned?
Manlio Accardo, founder of Sailogy, said that the group wanted to further consolidate the market on the basis of its own scalable digital platform. The company has extensive experience in the areas of M&A and integration. This should also be utilised in the future to create sustainable added value. The statement points to further acquisitions.
The market for online charter booking portals is fragmented. In addition to the providers mentioned, there are one or two other large platforms as well as numerous smaller, sometimes regional platforms. Traditional charter agencies also offer online bookings.
Competition is likely to intensify further. The immediate major competitors include international platforms such as Click&Boat, which took over Scansail a few years ago, as well as GetMyBoat and Argos and SamBoat, both of which belong to the Dream Yacht Chater group.
Effects for charter customers
The merger should initially change little for charter customers. The booking platforms of Sailogy and Borrow a Boat will remain available. In the medium term, the bundling could lead to a larger offering on one of the two platforms. Whether this will result in better prices for customers remains to be seen. Greater market power can lead to both more favourable purchasing conditions and higher margins.
In any case, consolidation is likely to make it more difficult to compare offers. If there are fewer independent booking portals, transparency will decrease. Charterers should continue to compare prices and conditions from different providers. Sometimes direct bookings with charter companies are also cheaper than bookings via online portals. We have reported on the advantages and disadvantages of the different booking channels several times in the past.
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
