Australia's Whittley Marine Group has appointed Auckland’s Bensemann Boating Centre Ltd...
New Zealand-built boats have been flooding the Australian market for decades and the traffic has largely been a one-way flow. But Whittley Marine Group aims to reverse the trend with the appointment of Auckland’s Bensemann Boating Centre Ltd as its New Zealand distributor.
“Whittley is excited about the prospect of returning to the New Zealand market,” company director Neville Whittley said.
“The brand had a strong presence in New Zealand but has not had local representation since 2006. We reckon 10 years is long enough and effective immediately, Whittley will relaunch onto the NZ scene with the support of Bensemann Boating Centre.”
With dealerships in West Park and Kelston, the Bensemann Boating Centre is a Volvo Penta and Yamaha dealer that enjoys a strong reputation among both recreational and commercial boaties.
“When we decided it was time to take on another fibreglass boat agency, there was no argument – Whittley ticked all the boxes,” director Rose Bensemann said.
Bensemann is committed to growing the brand and plans to establish a dedicated Whittley outlet to provide a complete sales and aftersales experience.
While Whittley’s CR (Cruiser) range will make up most of the initial consignment, the fishing-oriented SLs will be available – the first will be an SL22 powered by a Volvo Penta Next Generation V6 and Duo Prop drive. All New Zealand-bound boats will be turnkey packages with factory-installed Volvo Penta petrol or diesel sterndrives. The initial consignment will ride on factory-spec Mackay trailers carrying ‘Crafted for NZ’ badging.
New Zealand is tailor-made for boaties and the local industry is strong and quite parochial. Whittley says it has researched the market carefully and identified opportunities where it believes its product line can complement existing offerings.
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