Freedom Boat Club acquires New York franchise operation
Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), announced that it has acquired the Freedom Boat Club of New York franchise operation and territory. This announcement comes just four weeks after Freedom announced that it had acquired the franchise operation and territory rights in the Chicago market.
The scope of the transaction includes six New York area locations covering Long Island based in Northport, Glen Cove, Lindenhurst, Freeport, Port Jefferson, and Port Washington. In addition, Freedom Boat Club will acquire the corresponding territory rights which includes all of Long Island, New York City (excluding Staten Island), the eastern coastline of Westchester County and the western coastline of Westchester County to the Tappan Zee bridge.
“New York City is the largest metropolitan area in the United States and Long Island alone has nearly eight million residents” said Cecil Cohn, Freedom Boat Club Network president. “Growing our footprint in top boating communities such as this one is consistent with our continued growth plans. We are excited for the opportunity to continue to serve our members in New York which is home to some of the best boating experiences in the world.”
Freedom Boat Club of New York currently has more than 600 memberships and continues to grow in popularity as boaters from Manhattan and Long Island look to experience great fishing on the northern shores and great beaches on the southern shores. Memberships at the New York club locations have grown nearly 30% annually over the past three years, a testament to prior ownership and staff along with the continued growth in popularity of Freedom Boat Club.
“Brunswick Corporation has done a fantastic job growing Freedom Boat Club and my wife and I are excited for the opportunities they will be able to provide to Freedom’s members and staff in New York,” said Peter DeVilbiss, former Freedom Boat Club of New York franchise owner.
This marks the third acquisition made by Freedom Boat Club over the past year, following the purchase of the Chicago territory in early March and the Charleston, South Carolina territory in the spring of 2020. Freedom Boat Club of New York is now Freedom’s seventh corporate owned territory, joining Southwest Florida, Southeast Florida, Raleigh, North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, and the United Kingdom.