There is no doubt that the British Marine industry has, for countless years, survived as a “cottage” industry. Most of our popular recreational craft were, and still are, built by family businesses usually in small traditional yards alongside water. Similar may be said of most marine dealers, chandlers, sail makers, trimmers and a whole host of associated trades.

It is extremely rare to see small boat production in modern purpose built factories, craft displayed in clean well lit showrooms, or used boats well presented and prepared ready for sale. The prestige motor yacht builders, serious businesses, have developed modern production facilities and sales suites with highly professional staff. However the lessons long ago learnt by the motor trade, and the general acceptance of “retail park” selling, are only now beginning to trigger minor changes in the way that boating is being sold to the general public.

There will always be those who savour the joys of pottering around a cluttered boatyard, or delving into piles of clobber in “traditional” chandlers looking for a “good deal”. However most people are conditioned to the supermarket, or the speciality retail outlets, where goods are displayed and the opportunity given for buyers to “see the quality and feel the width”. Most people today are well informed on products available, their prices, and rightly expect to get a good deal. Some are not over concerned with cost but expect to be able to buy (maybe on impulse) precisely what they like, where they like, and when they like. In many cases that rules out boats!

Applying such philosophies to the marine industry requires dramatically new thinking, high capital investment, and a highly professional approach. The understanding that boats are merely another option in the shopping list of available luxury products, or that the “competition” may well be a 4x4, a new sports car, a house extension, a swimming pool, or even a diamond necklace, has yet to be grasped by much of the marine trade.

CHALLENGING TRADITION

In recent years a small number of marine businesses have dared to challenge the “traditional” relaxed laid back approach.

• Businessmen from outside the industry have entered the marine trade, with new marketing ideas.
• New forward thinking young “bloods” have taken over the helm, of family businesses.
• Trading estate outlets, far away from water, have employed retail trade concepts of customer service and satisfaction to sell large quantities of boats, engines, and accessories.
• A few multi-outlet marine dealers do currently flourish.
• Dedicated, large, well-organised chandlers have exploited advertising and mail order.
• The Internet is providing new businesses with the means to sell marine products to a huge audience.

But, other than a few prestige boat builders, and even fewer multi-outlet boat dealers, it is rare to find a sales outlet that matches the standards we all expect in the motor, household, electrical, or even clothing trades. We have yet to see our first boating counter in any UK super or hyper market!

In this article we look at a family firm, BHG Marine Ltd., at Lymington, who have recently taken what can only be described as a brave and massive financial gamble by opening a new facility that must surely set a hitherto unseen standard for marine dealerships!

SLEEPY LYMINGTON

Lymington is a delightful sleepy little town set on the edge of the New Forest. It is a quiet haven for both tourists and sailors. It offers safe moorings and sanity within a dozen or so miles of the panic and mayhem of Southampton, the Hamble, and the Solent. Even so ferries arrive every hour or so from the Isle of Wight, and it has an excellent train service! It boasts a single main street, a pretty cobbled port area, great pubs, expensive boutiques, super eateries, and it’s home to a hoard of thriving marine businesses.

Lymington also closes at teatime, regardless of the many tourists and visiting boaters!

But the twenty first century has reached Lymington, all of a sudden! It now boasts a new late opening Sommerfield supermarket and filling station, and the adjacent high tech businesses park is rapidly filling up. Unbelievably a new hospital (really!) is due to be built on this site in the next couple of years! It also hosts the expansive and impressive new BHG marine dealership!

BHG, a boat show every day!
With Paul Martin at the helm this new marine complex boasts “A boat Show Every Day”, and they mean it! On offer is a carefully selected range of products, of which BHG are rightly proud:

• Avon and Bombard RIBS – BHG are the largest independent Avon outlet in the world!
• Yamaha – BHG have been the biggest Yamaha engine dealer in the UK, since 1992! So long they don’t even get awards any more!
• Azzura boats– a wide selection to choose from
• Tehri boats – the largest range on show anywhere in Britain!
• Orkney Boats – BHG are in the top three of UK dealers.
• Picton Boats (“we usually sell half a dozen a year – mostly big RIBs with big engines”)
• Hov-Pod (“because its revolutionary, and no one has yet realised its huge potential”)
• Avon & Typhoon inflatables – they have a whole showroom to themselves!
• European importers of “Prop Guard”.
• Outhill seats and consoles – the biggest range in the business!
• A range of selected chandlery and accessories (everything you need for any boat sold)

Ok. So BHG stock a wide range of products. But it’s how they are stocked, displayed, and sold that is virtually unique! Their policy is to sell from stock – not from the display, which is constantly updated and maintained; a huge financial commitment! This is repaid by customers actually being able to see what entire ranges of boat look like. They inevitably buy a model up from their original plan!

1. The new building houses a permanent display of more boats than Yamaha had at the 2004 London Boat Show.
2. It also houses the largest range of Avon products anywhere in Europe.
3. BHG boasts having the greatest range of different Yamaha engines on display anywhere outside Japan!

FIVE YEARS IN THE PLANNING!

BHG’s massive new investment is the culmination of over fifteen years of long term preparation, and five years of concentrated planning. For a decade and a half a policy of determined re-investment has been adopted. “All hard work and no posy cars or foreign holidays” as Paul Martin put it.

Originally the plan was to move to Southampton but when the opportunity at Ampress Park arose it was just too good to miss: huge showroom space, stores, workshop and two enclosed boat yards. Sited midway between a hospital and a major supermarket offered the potential for passing customers that could not be ignored. It also meant that the premises could be far larger than that originally planned for Southampton, at a similar outlay!

The site is, admittedly, an industrial building but then so are the highly successful Northern Powerboats and Pennine Marine! But BHG’s new home huge. It’s incredibly high, spacious, light and airy, and impressive! Only a very small part has been used to create upstairs offices and the height gives the feel of being at a “real” boat show!

Just look at the statistics: Showroom 9500 sq ft
Fitting out bay 4500 sq ft
Office (only) 3500sq ft!
Surfaced display yard 8000sq ft
Boat storage ¼ acre!

What impressed us most was the attention to detail, and the unusual features, seen in the new building. It’s just like walking into a prestige out of town store; complete with automatic doors. The whole interior is spotlessly clean (OK, so its new!), and there is room to walk round and examine every boat and engine. The reception desk is in the middle and the stores counter is conveniently close. A comfy lounge is dedicated as a waiting area complete with settees, a large video screen, ad-lib coffee, and even a tub of lollies for the kiddies. In this area there is also a cased display of really up-market personal accessories, just to tempt the customer who likes quality gizmos!

Even the staircase up to the first floor accessory display, and offices, is a major design feature!

However the BHG philosophy is not just concentrated on the building, the displays, or the products stocked. No. The customer comes first!

Everyone who comes in to buy a boat, or even a small portable engine, is given a full run-down on his or her purchase. BHG even went to the States to buy a custom-built test tank, with an air powered engine lift, which they situated in a special bay in the showroom. Customers can see their engine test run, just like a contemporary BMW or Mercedes garage, and can even receive hands-on instruction on engine starting and handling.

Paul Martin pointed out that they have quite a number of lady customers who really appreciate the opportunity to learn about their boats and engines. Similarly BHG never simply supply “in a box” without first testing the product before shipping!

All Pre Delivery Inspections, handovers, new boat rigging, and Ten Hour Services are done in the new premises. Most other engine work, and boat repairs, are still done at the Bucklers Hard site which is only 6 miles away, and convenient to both a slipway and testing water.

SIXTY YEAR GAMBLE!

BHG have been around since 1947 when Paul’s grandfather, Bill Martin, having finished his wartime stint with British Power Boats (fitting Rolls-Royce “Spitfire” engines into fast patrol boats) set up a business to look after the boats and cars on the Beaulieu estate, for Lord Montague. The estate allowed the first building to be erected at Bucklers Hard, on the banks of the only privately owner river in the country, in a stunningly beautiful and peaceful woodland setting!

The business prospered and David Martin (Paul’s dad!) joined in 1962. Four years later a totally new building replaced the old wooden one providing showroom, workshop, and office space under one roof. Around the same time the automobile side became independant and the new site was totally dedicated to boats. This was at the time when recreational boating was enjoying a real boom!

In 1990 Paul Martin joined the company bringing with him new ideas as well as learning the “ropes” in the traditional yard at Bucklers Hard. The coming of this third generation Martin coincided with dramatic changes in the boating industry. The traditional boats, and small GRP craft, which had been the very bread and butter of the old yards gave way to far more modern craft, especially RIBs. A brief visit to Bucklers Hard will soon prove this point – it’s stacked out with seriously mean tube bearing craft!

Four decades after the “big” new premises at Bucklers Hard first went live BHG’s new venture is complete and open for business. On Paul’s shoulders lay the fortunes generated by three generations of his family (David is staying at Bucklers Hard, in the peace of the forest!). In one gigantic step they have leaped from a traditional yard set in a secluded riverside location to a twenty first century hi-tech business park scenario. The implications of this venture would frighten lesser mortals, but BHG are determined to show that they can take their marine business through to the next century.

To succeed they must adopt a totally different viewpoint to that accepted by much of the trade as we know it today. Customers will expect to be able to buy a boat, engine, or accessories, from stock just as they can in a other major retailers. They will demand a similar level of service, parts back-up, and professionalism from dealer’s staff. Customers for used boats will expect to find them clean, fully serviced, and ready to go; just as they can in major outlets in America where turn key deals are the norm.

If the UK marine industry wants to flourish it must surely aggressively target those who are new to boating, tempting them away from alternative product. Relying on existing customers or the infrequent impulse buyer is just not going to cut it!

BHG have established a benchmark dealership that others in the trade should be watching with great interest; perhaps following suit. However they had better get a move on – the fourth generation of Martin’s is rapidly growing up and there sure as hell isn’t room locally for another dealership of this stature!