After long negotiations and an arduous process through the instances of Italian insolvency law, the new year also marks the start of a new chapter for Grand Soleil. Entrepreneur Davide Trevisani and his group of companies now hold a majority stake in the renowned brand, which two years ago still belonged to Dufour and therefore indirectly to Bavaria.
Trevisani is no stranger to the industry. The Italian joined Sly Yachts a year ago. With the acquisition, he now has modern production facilities in Forli. This is where Cantiere del Pardo, the shipyard behind Grand Soleil, is based.
It will build boats of both brands in future. There are also plans to expand the Grand Soleil portfolio. While only performance cruisers have been developed and marketed under the 40-year-old name to date, there will also be luxury cruising boats in the future - similar to X-Yachts, where the comfort-orientated XC series was created alongside the performance-oriented XP series boats.
Trevisani has appointed Michel Delagarde, who had already worked at Cantiere del Pardo ten years ago, and Fabio Planamente to manage the company. The previous boss Ruggero Gandolfi is no longer on board. Head of Development Gianguido Girotti also left.
The new managers are said to have imposed a strict austerity programme on the company in consultation with the trade unions, as capacity utilisation remains very low. Nevertheless, market experts speak of a positive development. Trevisani is considered to have sufficient financial strength to successfully restructure the company.
His arrival had been on the cards for some time. And it marks the end of the expansion plans of Germany's largest sports boat manufacturer. Dufour and Cantiere del Pardo have been up for sale since the Bavaria investors Anchorage and Oaktree ordered a concentration on the core business in Giebelstadt (see report in YACHT 22/2013).
Initially, Dufour succeeded in becoming independent: a regional bank and the management team led by Managing Director Salvatore Serio are now in charge of the French company. In mid-December, a court then authorised the takeover of Grand Soleil. Solaris and Azuree were also rumoured to have bid for the shipyard in Forli. However, their bids and takeover concepts were not approved.
