Cox Marine announces a new global distribution strategy at FLIBS 2023

Cox Marine, manufacturer of the CXO300 outboard, is announcing a strategic shift in its distribution approach following a period of restructuring, which has seen the company secure additional funds for future growth.

Cox Marine‘s original aim was to partner with 35-40 organisations globally, however under its new plan, Cox Marine’s distributor network strategy is adopting a ‘fewer, bigger, better’ approach. By partnering with a smaller number of distributors that hold more power – the target is around 25 globally – Cox Marine is confident that working with fewer yet more established partners who are responsible for larger territories, will provide them with a better platform for further growth.

Florida-based distributor Ring Power, a partner in the US marine industry, is leading the way as the first Cox Marine distributor to adopt additional territories as the Cox Marine network is redefined.

“The decision to consolidate and strengthen our distributor network will benefit us, our distributors and our customers,” says Gavin Wesson, CEO of Cox Marine. “By empowering distributors like Ring Power to take on additional territories, our outboard will reach even more customers while maintaining high-quality service and support. The new distribution strategy will enable us to have more positive engagement and stronger partnerships with our distributors.”

With Ring Power’s support in running prototype outboards in 2018, becoming investors and members of the board of directors in 2021, the creation of the Ring Power-Cox Marine division in 2022 and the increase in territory in early 2023, this latest move continues to strengthen the relationship between Cox Marine, Ring Power, and the US market.

Having increased its territories beyond the state of Florida and the Caribbean to include Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, as well as Bermuda, early this year, the new agreement sees the addition of a further 14 states to which Ring Power holds sole distribution – Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The Americas have always been Cox Marine’s most targeted region for sales of the CXO300, with high demand from users across all vessel platforms, particularly in the sport fishing, commercial workboat, and government agency sectors. It is why securing a robust distribution network is so important across the whole of the region. Elsewhere, within the Americas, Cox Marine continues to work in close partnership with its four other distributors, Texas Diesel Outboard, Boatswain’s Locker, Wajax and JTC Marin.

“We are thrilled to be the first distributor to extensively expand our reach as part of Cox Marine’s restructuring of its distributor network,” says Ring Power VP and general manager of Cox Marine Division, Patrick Bucci. “This new distribution strategy allows us to serve a broader customer base and work closely with Cox Marine to deliver powerful, reliable, and eco-friendly propulsion solutions.”

The implementation of the new ‘fewer, bigger, better’ campaign comes off the back of Cox Marine’s work to rejuvenate its dealer programme and dealer onboarding process earlier this year. As the number of Cox Marine’s outboards in the market grows, so does their need for local sales and aftersales support.

“We look forward to working closely with the business development and network development teams at Cox Marine to continue to work on building a strong dealer network across our new and existing territories to be able to support our customers up and down the East Coast,” Bucci adds.

Cox Marine and Ring Power will join forces at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on booth 1211. Around the show, they will be showcasing a number of vessels, including an Intrepid Nomad 345, Phenom 37, Front Runner 33 CC, Front Runner 26 CC, Jupiter 34 and NorthStar – Orian 8, in various locations around the show.