OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN 2013, ASIAMARINE NOW HAS REPRESENTATION IN EIGHT CITIES IN SIX COUNTRIES – AND IS HAPPY WITH THAT.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN 2013, ASIAMARINE NOW HAS REPRESENTATION IN EIGHT CITIES IN SIX COUNTRIES – AND IS HAPPY WITH THAT.
THE WORLD SEEMS TO BE A PLAYGROUND to Eric Noyel, founder and CEO of Asiamarine. Cracking jokes here and there with an easy-going manner, Noyel is full of life and seemingly immune to stress at the head of his luxury yacht company.
Since launching in Hong Kong in 2013, Asiamarine has grown across the region, adding offices in Phuket, Jakarta and Manila, and securing representation and partners in Bali, Cebu, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
The company’s broad range of services include dealership, brokerage, charter, yacht management and fractional ownership programmes. As such, Noyel is genuinely happy with the structure of his company – a rare and refreshing statement from an entrepreneur.
“I don’t need to grow the structure. I am happy with everyone and everything. The sole focus now is not to do anything else,” Noyel said at his company’s Asia Premiere of the award-winning Galeon 500 Fly in Hong Kong in March.
Asiamarine’s journey began in 2013, after Noyel sold his company and looked for a new business challenge that would make the most of his established network of connections in Greater China and Southeast Asia.
Born in southern France and having sailed since he was a child, Noyel linked holidays with boating, so decided to mix pleasure with business and return to the yachting world.
With the simple aim of providing easier access to luxury yachts, he decided to go against the grain by initially focusing on charter yachts under the brand name Riviera Orientale, while also becoming a dealer for Turkish builder Numarine.
Business thrived, soon he had more than nine boats – including the Numarine 78 Hardtop – and Riviera Orientale was named Best Asia-based Charter Company at the 2014 Asia Boating Awards. Noyel also grew increasingly convinced of the worth of Numarine’s solidly built yachts.
“The first brand we brought in was Numarine – very original and only selling sleek yachts to entrepreneurs,” Noyel said of the Turkish builder he still thinks is underappreciated in the Asian market
“That was my first boat that never had a problem and we chartered it more than 200 times. It is really rock solid.”
Noyel then created the fractional ownership programme under the brand name Luxury Yacht Share Asia (LYSA), in which potential buyers can pay a portion of the buying price to become one of the owners.
Noyel saw the potential of such a programme in Hong Kong, since the well-off enjoy the on-water life in short periods and usually during weekends, instead of cruising for longer holidays, as in Europe.
“Quickly we sold two shares and I kept a one-third share for my company. It went great,” he said.
The Frenchman also recognised that owners in Hong Kong like to see their yachts ready to go at short notice, hence the demand for third- party management and maintenance.
On the dealership side, Noyel initially found it more difficult than expected to sell Numarine in Asia, where potential buyers are more confident in established global brands. Noyel looked around at his competitors’ portfolios of established brands and sought to expand his range.
Asiamarine has since become a dealer in selected markets for Galeon (Poland), Sunseeker (UK), Fountaine Pajot (France), Wellcraft (USA), Hatteras (USA) and Alessandro Marchi (Italy).
Noyel also started to look around Asia for further opportunities, casting his net to include younger luxury yacht markets where major brands are still busy trying to establish themselves.
Asiamarine soon opened offices in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, and secured partners in Vietnam and Singapore.
“We’ve gained a lot of credibility in those markets. The company is four years old and I am happy for the first time,” said Noyel, who admits he still enjoys helping new brands like Numarine and Galeon compete against the global icons. “I take it as an honour, almost as a mission.” Currently, the company is undergoing a rebranding process, in which
Riviera Orientale and LYSA will fade for the emergence of the one-stop- shop brand Asiamarine. The logo is neat: a thick-lined square based on the Papa nautical flag (about to proceed to sea), but in pink to help appeal to women.
“I like that the logo is simple because it’s easier to mark memories,” Noyel said. “I like the subliminal messages of the square that reflect my values and also that it is appealing to women in the male-dominated yachting industry.”
Right now, Noyel and Asiamarine look to have all the bases covered. No wonder he’s so happy.
