The shipyard announced its unusual plans yesterday in an extremely concise press release. It states: "The decision has been made to subject the shipyard and the Elan brand to a complete strategic reorganisation. At the centre of this process is a complete overhaul and repositioning of our product range." Enquiries from the press will be forwarded to the Luxembourg-based company KJK Sports, to which the Slovenian Elan Group has belonged since 2018.
Melanja Korošec, Senior Vice President of KJK Sports and now responsible for the strategic repositioning of the Elan brand, explains the background: "The development of Elan Yachts has become bogged down in a very difficult and challenging market environment in recent years. We therefore need to completely reposition the brand and its products." In fact, Elan Yachts has been rather cautious in recent years with new developments, especially for the sporty E-line of its performance cruisers and for the Impression range of cruising yachts, preferring to focus on revisions and new editions of existing models. New models were developed in 2017 and 2020 for the upmarket GT line and in 2022 with the E6 as the new flagship of the sporty range.
Gradually reduce production
Nevertheless, the Elan Yachts brand remains on a solid financial footing, according to the shipyard representatives. The company is also not affected by insolvency proceedings. Production in Begunje na Gorensjskem in the Slovenian mountains will now be gradually reduced over the coming weeks. The yachts currently under construction will be completed and delivered, but new construction orders will no longer be accepted. And; advance payments already made for ordered boats will of course be refunded, according to the shipyard. Customer service and the Elan Yachts service network will also continue to be available without restriction.
There is apparently no concrete timetable for the reorganisation of the company structures. "We will tackle the reorganisation of Elan very conscientiously together with our existing partners and take as much time as necessary," Melanja Korošec continues. According to well-informed sources, the time-out for the reorganisation will last at least twelve months. A solution is now being sought within the Elan Sports group of companies for the approximately 50 employees. Elan Yachts is just one of the group's four divisions. In addition to the manufacture of sailing yachts, the company is also active in other areas such as ski equipment, other sports equipment and sports hall equipment.
