The Italian-Swiss internet start-up has thus taken over one of the largest and best-known classic agencies on the market. Master Yachting belonged to the Tui Group until 2017, but then the Germans sold their marine division to the US investment holding KKR. She parted ways with the agency after an offer by Sailogy.
The purchase connects two companies of the same size, which are, however, strong in different markets. Master Yachting is one of the market leaders in Germany, Sailogy is very present in Italy and Switzerland. In the future, both brands will continue to operate completely independently, Master Yachting in the classic agency sector with offices and trade fair appearances and Sailogy, above all, as an online platform.
Manlio Accardo, CEO of Sailogy (left), and Max Barbera, CEO of Master Yachting
We spoke to Master Yachting Managing Director Max Barber about the deal:
YACHT: Up until now, online platforms have viewed classic agencies as being phased out. How does the current takeover fit into the picture?
Max Barbera: This complements each other much better than many think. As a start-up, Sailogy has brilliant online technology in the background, from which we benefit greatly - for example by merging the various booking engines such as Sedna, MMK and so on. We can now compare the ships from all platforms faster and easier. There are practically no more delays. In return, we are extremely strong in terms of customer proximity and service in terms of areas, ships and on-site handling of the charter.
In addition, German customers place more value on advice and personal service, pure online booking is nowhere near as strong as in the European region. In this respect, a classic agency makes perfect sense as a supplement for Sailogy.