Princess motoryachts new distributor for Australia/NZ
Luxury boatbuilder, Princess Yachts International, has a new Australia and New Zealand distributor to be located on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Princess Yachts Australia will be run by Alan Paterson, who previously managed the distribution of Princess Yachts in Australasia on behalf of Riviera and is well known in the Australian boating industry.
The new Princess distributorship is associated with Sydney businessman and solicitor, John Barbouttis and a group of silent partners with extensive boating, corporate and superyacht charter experience and with marina interests in Australia.
Princess Yachts said Paterson and a team of highly skilled and experienced marine industry service and sales people have opened a waterfront office overlooking the marina at the Hope Island Resort on the northern Gold Coast.
They have already placed several orders with Princess in the UK, including three large vessels valued at more than $12 million. The first of those will be delivered mid-2010, said the boatbuilder.
“When Princess Yachts in the UK and Riviera came to the amicable decision to go their separate ways, I was engaged by Princess Yachts International as a consultant for three months to help the UK company manage the company’s representation at the (2009) Sydney International Boat Show and to help find and establish a new distributor for Australia and New Zealand,” said Paterson.
“There were several high-profile and high-quality contenders that we spoke to, but with John and his partners being heavily involved in the marine industry both… in Australia and overseas, already owning a Princess, and having a passionate view on boating and the Princess brand they became a natural fit.
“The deal was finalised between Princess in the UK and the Australian company, and then I was appointed to be the dealer principal for the new distributorship.
“We are based on the Gold Coast, where there are more than 20 existing Princess owners, and
we have assembled a first-rate team of sales and service experts to make sure our owners, current and future, get the attention and customer care that Princess demands,” he said.
Included in the new Gold Coast Princess team are Scott Davis, a 25-year industry veteran, who also owns a V45 Princess and Andy Clayton, who heads up the service side of the dealership through his company European Marine. The distributor said Andy is highly qualified having worked at Princess in their Plymouth manufacturing facilities for many years before immigrating to Australia.
Andy's wife, Louise will manage the Princess Hope Island office and head customer care, be responsible for accounts, the web-site and eNews production and distribution as well as the popular owner experiences.
“Louise has a good knowledge of the Princess product along with adding a welcoming and relaxed feel to our office,” said Paterson.
He said they would soon have offices at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney, Sandringham in Melbourne and Auckland in New Zealand. “After that we will look at Perth and possibly Adelaide,” said Paterson.
He said internationally Princess was aggressively pushing into new markets around the globe and had developed a suite of new models ranging from a V42 sportsyacht to a 130-foot M class tri-deck yacht, with new models including V42, V52, V62, V72, V78, 72MY, 78MY, 32M and 40M.
“Between 2006 and this year we built a very solid platform for Princess in Australia and New Zealand under Riviera’s R Marine banner, but now we want to take that to a whole new level and improve on the levels of service, experiences and model choice we can offer current and future owners,” Paterson said.
“Princess owners will be treated to some great owner experiences during 2010 and beyond with trips up and down the Australian coast. These will give them challenging boating experiences with the added comfort of trained assistance on hand during the trip giving a real opportunity to experience the Princess on-water lifestyle to full extent.
“Our local and international boat show seasons will be full of opportunities for our owners to enjoy collaborative events along with the opportunity to visit the Plymouth headquarters of Princess in mid 2010,” he said.
Paterson said he had been to the Princess UK factory approximately 20 times and knew the models and the company intimately. He said the timing of the launch of the new dealership was “perfect” with economies showing signs of recovery from the Global Financial Crisis and the devaluation of the UK pound against the strengthening Australian dollar giving Australian customers real buying power.
Princess Yachts Australia says it has a number of new models on order from the UK factory, including a V52, V62 and V85. The prices range from $1.5 million to $8.5 million. The $1.5 million V52 is already sold to a Gold Coast businessman and current Princess owner.
“The arrival of the V85 will be a celebration of our very first 80-foot-plus new Princess into Australia,” said Paterson.
“Princess Yachts have a reputation internationally for being meticulously designed and manufactured, and the brand has enjoyed considerable success in this country and New Zealand.
“Our new company aims to build on that existing base and offer a level of service and product choice not previously available,” he said.
The new Princess distributorship will also operate in brokerage, selling a range of handpicked, pre-owned vessels on behalf of clients.
Paterson said the group also runs a charter company operating out of Athens that owns a 101 Ferretti Navetta, a 114 Falcon and a Princess V42 self-drive, all of which can be booked through the new Hope Island office.
Princess Yachts Australia, are at Suite 3 The Board Walk, Hope Island Marina Village, Rialto Quay Drive, Hope Island, Qld, 4212
For further information, phone (07) 5514 1900 or email: alan@princessaustralia.com.au
Photo: Alan Paterson is the new dealer principal for Princess Yachts Australia, with new offices at Hope Island on the Gold Coast.