A story that could equally be filed in our yacht racing life section….
Oyster Group, which includes Oyster Marine Ltd, Oyster Brokerage Ltd and Southampton Yacht Services Ltd has been aquired by Dutch investment company HTP Investments.
As with many of HTP’s investments, the funds of the partners – Wim de Pundert and Klaas Meertens are used. The bulk of HTP’s investments are in German Automotive companies including GEIGER Automotive GmbH and REUM Kunststoff. The company does have some experience of high-end leisure vehicles – it holds a significant stake in MORELO Reisemobile, a producer of luxury motor homes.
Klaas Meertens, Managing Partner of HTP Investments said:
“As investors, we are delighted to have the opportunity to add such a strong and prestigious British brand to our select portfolio of companies and have every confidence in Oyster’s CEO, David Tydeman and the existing management team to take the business forward. For myself and Wim, this is a personal acquisition and a long term investment. We look forward to working with David and the team to develop Oyster’s strategy for the future and build on the success the whole team at Oyster has achieved over the last three years.”
Commenting on the transaction, Oyster CEO David Tydeman said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Oyster, our team of loyal staff and suppliers. HTP Investment’s acquisition is funded by the private funds of its two partners and means that Oyster can look forward to a period of long term stability, doing what we do best – building great sailing yachts.”
Despite the challenging economic conditions of the last few years, Oyster has continued to develop and launch new products, which has contributed to a gain in market share and the company has had a very strong start to 2012 with around £10m of contracts signed in January.
Oyster will celebrate its 40th Anniversary in 2013 and plans are already well advanced for a memorable event to mark the occasion.
