BRS Group acquires YPI
PARIS – BRS Yachting (a subsidiary of the BRS Group) has embarked on its first major expansion with the acquisition of the yacht brokerage company Yachting Partners International, the company reported in a release this week.
The current management team of YPI will remain in place and will be managing the company together with Bertrand Vogèle, managing director and shareholder of BRS Yachting, under the supervision of a new board. The combined group will henceforth trade under the name Yachting Partners International (member of BRS Group).
Due to a greater demand for large yachts in the last few years, yacht brokerage requires larger investments and additional expertise that the combined know-how of BRS and YPI will bring. Trends show an increasing demand for yachts above 40 meters with order books full until 2012, BRS Group said.
“We are firmly convinced that this acquisition is a great opportunity to develop our new targeted offer in the large yacht brokerage market, Jean-Bernard Raoust, chairman of BRS said. “Alexander Braden [Chairman of YPI Group] and his team have built a company with a worldwide reputation in the yacht business through its long-term relationships with clients and highly personalized service. ”
BRS Group and YPI are strongly complementary in terms of geography and service and BRS will bring increased investment capacity to the business along with the financial, technical and legal support it has acquired over 150 years serving the maritime industry, the company said.
YPI will be bringing its expertise in large yacht brokerage, operating with yachts over 30 meters long in a price range of up to €150m. The company was founded in 1972 by Braden and today operates out of offices in Antibes, Monaco and Brighton. YPI offers a range of brokerage services including new building, chartering, sale and purchase, yacht management and crew recruitment.
“We are delighted to join the BRS group, a highly regarded leader in the shipbroking sector,” Braden said. “The support and expertise of the group’s worldwide network, and its longstanding experience in the maritime sector, will considerably enhance the services YPI offers and we look forward to developing the business going forward. We are all in this for the long term.”
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