Sirocco Marine catches Aussie wave to US

by Jeni Bone on 12 Oct 2015 Sirocco Marine, one of Australia’s foremost distributors of Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBS) under the brands Brig, Williams Performance Tenders, Sealegs and Sirocco, will soon extend its footprint to the US market, opening the first of several showrooms planned for key boating markets.

Complementing the tide of Australian marques such as Riviera, Maritimo and most recently Elandra, making inroads in the US, Sirocco Marine will open stores in Fort Lauderdale and Anapolis, aiming to support these iconic exports with the world’s best RIB tenders.

The Fort Lauderdale showroom will be managed by Boyd Tomkies and will open early November, while the Annapolis showroom, opening in early December, will be headed up by Vince Palmeri. Each showroom will display the entire Brig range of RIBS and Sealegs Amphibious craft.

Both managers are well-known within the inflatable boat world and involved in the RIB business in the US for many years.

Neil Webster, Managing Director, said the decision to open stores in the US was a strategic move to expand the business to a larger market and as a form of hedge in the current climate as the Aussie dollar is comparatively weak against the US dollar.
“Importing boats from the US or UK has gone up 50%,” he explains. “Boats from Europe have gone up 20%. It makes sense to look further afield and the US is a massive market with a mature boating culture.”

Webster reveals that he is looking for more sites to open across the US as part of an ambitious role out plan.

“We have reached saturation in the local market where Brig is the number one RIB brand. Brig is the largest RIB manufacturer in the world and constantly investing in R&D and innovation. With the professionalism and enthusiasm of our US personnel, we are confident we will soon establish a loyal clientele.”

The first major boat show planned for Sirocco Marine in the US will be the 75th Miami International Boat Show in February, where Sirocco Marine has secured the largest stand in the inflatable boat section (Hall C). Webster states they will have 25+ boats on display, ranging from 2.7-metres to 10-metres.

“Florida is considered the boating capital of the world, and the sheer visitor numbers are incredible – 96,000 in 2015,” says Webster. “We will have a wide range of RIBS on show to suit all forms of boating.”

For local owners, Webster promises the expansion to the US will only add to their ownership experience. “Our Brig owners are able to access our “Borrow a Brig” program when they’re at Hamilton Island, and now they can add Fort Lauderdale and Anapolis to their itinerary.”

Brig HQ is excited to see the expansion into the US. “Neil and his team are our current International Dealer of the Year,” stated founder and general manager, Slave Rodionov. “We fully support his plan to take the same exceptional product, service and ethos to America.”

Earlier in the year, Webster and his team received their Award at the annual Brig conference attended by representatives from 60 dealerships from all over the world.

Alongside the Brig and Ukrainian flags at the company’s Kharkov factory, the Australian flag is now hoisted in honour of Sirocco Marine’s achievements.

“It was a surprise, but we work hard in all facets of the business,” says Webster. “It’s not just about sales figures and volumes. Brig judges the annual award on customer service and dedication to the brand: presentation at boat shows, brochures, advertising and marketing support, website development and training.”

Slava Rodionov says winning the International Dealer of the Year Award is testament to well-planned strategy, consistency in branding and boat shows and team effort. “Neil leads a fantastic team of very motivated marine professionals. It’s always a pleasure to visit him in Australia and see how passionate his team and in turn, their clients are about the Brig brand.”

Sirocco Marine took key sales staff to the Brig conference, which Webster points out adds to their knowledge of the brand and production. “Visiting the factory and mixing with the other international sales staff and dealers means our people have first-hand insight into construction and rigging of the boats, as well as bringing back ideas and enthusiasm for customer events, marketing and boat shows.”

In early 2016, Webster is expecting delivery of the first category-busting 10-metre Brig, among other new releases.