Superyacht giant Ahoy Club has taken a significant stake in luxury yacht specialist Ray White Marine.
The merger was overseen by luxury yacht company Ahoy Club’s CEO, Ellie Malouf, and their managing director, waste management tycoon Ian Malouf.
“Combining the strengths of both companies opens new opportunities for collaboration and innovation in this space. We’ve made this decision to strengthen our customer offering and to drive expansion,” a statement from Ahoy Club read.
The Australian luxury yachting space is a family business, it seems.
The Malouf family founded the Ahoy Club just over five years ago, in 2018. At the helm of the business is father and daughter team Ian and Ellie.
In line with the merger, Brock Rodwell has been appointed as the CEO of Ray White Marine. He is replacing his father, Rick Rodwell, who will remain with the business in sales.
“Both brands hold trust, respect, compassion and a strong work ethic as fundamental core values. These values are born from family values, which are the foundation of both businesses,” Ian Malouf said in a statement to Forbes Australia.
“This alignment across our brands empowers our employees to go above and beyond for both their clients and colleagues, leading to a high-performance team and loyal customers, and lastly, business success.“
Ray White Marine is an offshoot of Australasia’s largest property group, Ray White.
The company, founded by Rick Rodwell, has exclusive distributorship rights with European luxury yacht dealerships in Australia and New Zealand.
This merger will expand the market share Ahoy Club has in Australia and New Zealand.
Ray White Marine currently has distributorship rights for the Ferretti Group. This merger will bring the Riva Yachts, Sunreef Yachts, and Technohull brands into reach for the Ahoy Club.
Ahoy Club specialises in its yacht charters and large-scale superyacht sales. Brock Rodwell said in a statement that, “the merger will complement each business in many ways others won’t be able to match.”
Ray White Marine will continue to carry all the new vessel brands and brokerage divisions. Ahoy Club will focus on yacht charters, management, and larger-scale superyacht sales.
This merger is significant in strengthening the brand’s global presence.
Ahoy Club has been focusing on expanding internationally. The brand now has locations in France and Monaco, with an ongoing expansion into the United States.
Brock Rodwell will also lead the global brand as Head of Yacht Sales for Ahoy Club, Asia-Pacific.
Alongside increasing locations globally, more Australian offices will make the Ahoy Club increasingly accessible to the customer.
A statement from Ahoy Club explained that, “Strategically for us, having more experts available in key locations is an important part of this merger.”
“Clients will now be able to access us across several offices in Australia and New Zealand including Double Bay and Elizabeth Bay in Sydney, the Gold Coast, Auckland CBD, The Whitsundays, and our prestige showroom in Melbourne with Zagame Automotive Group”.
Rodwell said in a statement that, “Ray White Marine is excited to join forces with Ellie and her team at Ahoy Club. In a short period of time, they have become a main player in our industry when it comes to charter and professional yacht management. Integrating a proven sales team was the next natural step.”
