Ancasta reported a successful London Boat Show, in spite of Peters' demise
Despite forecasters predicting it would be a tough show, Ancasta reported a good London Boat Show this year across all its brands and and its success is due, partly at least, to the demise of Peters Opal in August of last year.
One of the triggers of the collapse of Peters Opals was the termination of its exclusive distribution deal with Sealine, which Ancasta took over. At this year’s London Boat Show Sealine recorded a 10% sales increase on last year.
Speaking to MBM at the Stewart Collins London Boat Show, Nick Griffith, Managing Director at Ancasta revealed that Sealine first approached Ancasta in June 2007 and asked if it would be willing to take over the distribution deal, “I knew it was going to leave a large hole in the Peters’ portfolio and I knew it was going to be a blow but I didn’t think the guys would actually go under” said Nick.
But go under it did and since then Ancasta has arguably become the biggest dealer in the UK, adding to its portfolio with Sealine South Coast, a series of dedicated Sealine sales outlets, the flagship of which has recently opened in Port Hamble. Nick admits the collapse of Peters has been a bit of a double-edged sword, “We benefited from the Sealine side of it, for sure. It was a great benefit although the industry suffered a bit as a result, as one of the side effects is that it instils a bit of customer uncertainty.”
