SHIPS AHOY: Leading Italian maker of made-to-measure yachts Sanlorenzo and Florence-based Sawa, a company owned by Leonardo Ferragamo, revealed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Thursday.
Sanlorenzo said in a statement that the agreement involves an exclusivity period to evaluate possible “joint strategic opportunities” between Sanlorenzo and Sawa’s Nautor Swan Group, a company known for its sleek Swan sailing yachts.
Nautor Swan was founded in 1966 by Pekka Koskenkyla in Pietarsaari, Finland. It has been owned since 1998 by Leonardo Ferragamo, who built its image worldwide.
Sanlorenzo remains one of Italy’s top shipyards driving the uptick of the nation’s yachting industry, now a main catalyst of the economy. In recent years it has grown its image as a specialist in floating luxury homes fueled by collaborations with high-profile names like designer Patricia Urquiola. The La Spezia-based company booked 740.7 million euros in sales of new yachts in 2022, benefiting from a surge in demand for luxury vessels.
Revenues generated by Italy’s nautical sector as a whole surged 20 percent in 2022 to 7.33 billion euros, according to the nation’s Marine Industry Association. By comparison and according to the French Nautical Industries Federation (FIN), France’s boating sector registered 4.95 billion euros in sales in the nautical industry and services between 2021 and 2022, the last fiscal year reported.
A strategic partnership with a leader like Sanlorenzo would allow Swan to innovate and upgrade on a sustainable level and would further strengthen its “long-term vision,” Ferragamo explained in a statement.
“A strategic partnership with Sanlorenzo Group would offer several opportunities to move forward on this virtuous path with joint investments in innovative technologies, in sustainability, and in a more extensive service network for our customers globally,” he said.
