All previous owners have been replaced, but Managing Director Gilles Wagner remains in office and his shares remain unaffected. According to Aurelius, Privilège, based in Les Sables d'Olonne on the French Atlantic coast, will remain an independent brand. Hanseyachts wants to enter the rapidly growing catamaran market. A step that Bavaria Yachtbau has already taken with the takeover of Nautitech in La Rochelle.
Privilège is located in the upper segment of the catamaran market, both in terms of construction and the prices and sizes of the boats. The portfolio currently includes three sailing catamarans called Series 5, 6 and 7, which are 50, 64 and 74 feet long, as well as two large motor catamarans. The shipyard also owns the Feeling line, which used to be characterised by high-quality monohulls with canting keels. The brand had gone quiet, but there is a new construction project in the 13.90 metre length.
Hansegroup sees parallels with Privilège: both shipyards build owner's yachts that are sporty, luxurious and, above all, particularly seaworthy. The aim is to combine the expertise from the series production of yachts with the experience of Privilège to create one of the most successful luxury catamaran brands in the world. The production site in Les Sables is to be retained, as the sheer width of the boats in Greifswald would not allow them to be manufactured in the existing facilities. However, it is being examined whether certain preliminary products such as furniture or inner shells could be manufactured in Greifswald.
With the acquisition of Privilège by Hanse, all three major manufacturers now have a catamaran mainstay. Beneteau/Jeanneau pursues a similar multi-brand strategy with its Lagoon catamarans and is also the market leader in the multihull segment. The Hanse Group now offers seven brands: the Hanse, Dehler, Moody and Varianta sailing yacht ranges, the Fjord and Sealine motorboats and now also the Privilège catamarans.
