Riviera invests in Australia’s manufacturing future

by Stephen Milne on 25 May 2013 Riviera chairman and owner Rodney Longhurst announced today that his family will purchase Riviera’s 14-hectare state-of-the-art Coomera facility on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

It is the largest luxury boat building facility of its type in the Southern Hemisphere and the purchase of the property and all of its capital improvements will be completed before June 30.

When Mr Longhurst purchased Riviera on eight March, 2012, he agreed to a long term lease with the option to buy the property.

Over the past 14 months, Mr Longhurst has been very focused on Riviera’s future and has placed a great deal of time into restructuring the business, reviewing all internal processes and procedures, investing in new model development, recruiting the right people for the right job, and growing Riviera’s team and talent.

Mr Longhurst said the purchase of the property truly cemented Riviera’s future in building boats in Australia, employing Australians and continuing to drive the company’s long established export markets.

'Last financial year Riviera exported 56 per cent of its total production, which is a staggering result given the dollar was above parity during this period with the US and the overall impact of the GFC on the market globally,' Mr Longhurst said.

'Luxury brands that have true integrity and are driven by excellence, such as Riviera, have stood the test of time through the GFC. Riviera is proud of its 33 year heritage and commitment towards design, our built to last philosophy, and our relentless focus on delivering the ultimate boating experience.

'Riviera continually sources expertise and components from around the world. Many high quality master crafts people are drawn to live in Australia. I believe in South East Queensland’s and Australia’s manufacturing future, which is why we have undertaken this considerable investment.

'Riviera’s Australian headquarters is unique to this part of the world and adds real strength to our brand as Australia is very much a part of the Riviera DNA, and by that I mean that Riviera boats are built for Australia’s harsh boating conditions, and they are built with great strength for whatever the elements try to throw at them. Our designs also incorporate the great Australian outdoors lifestyle, which means our boats tend to be bigger in internal volume, brighter and more airy and open.'

After visiting some of the world’s highly regarded boat building facilities, Mr Longhurst is confident the Riviera site compares favourably in terms of location, size and technology.

'What we have here gives us enormous potential to further grow and diversify the Riviera brand. We have the capability to future-proof the company in terms of being able to create and build different types and sizes of boats and that really excites me,' Mr Longhurst said.

'It is a very positive time for Riviera and we are fortunate to have a great number of people who have been here for a long period of time and whose passion, drive and belief in Riviera has allowed our brand to withstand challenging times.

'I am also pleased to announce that Riviera has won the large exporter of the year award at the esteemed 2013 Australian Marine Industry Export Awards held on Tuesday night at the InterContinental Hotel at Sanctuary Cove.

'This is a fantastic achievement and I commend our 300 strong team who share my desire to create and build award-winning luxury boats.

'Our team is inspired by the future of Riviera as they see our new models coming down the line and this award is testament to the hard work and loyalty of our staff as we work together to create the ultimate boating experience for our owners.

'The purchase of this highly developed facility means we can focus on our international efforts as the global market recovers and continue doing what we do best – creating the ultimate boating experience.

'Riviera has built and delivered more than 5000 luxury boats over its rich 33 year heritage and I look forward to being a part of building the next 5000 boats.'

Riviera offers 15 different models from 36 to 75 feet across three model series Flybridge, Sport Yacht and the new SUV collection.

In 2012 Riviera celebrated the launch of its 5000th boat, the 445 SUV, a significant achievement in the company’s rich 32-year history.

Riviera also offers the bespoke Motor Yacht line, Belize Motoryachts. Inspired by classic luxury details and timeless style, Belize Motoryachts has recently released the new 52 foot Sedan and Daybridge models.

For more information, please go to Riviera Australia