‘Multiple bids submitted’ for Fairline Yachts as UK brand seeks buyer
Fairline employs approximately 250 staff across two sites in Oundle and Suffolk.
Administrators seeking a buyer for luxury Northamptonshire boatbuilder Fairline Yachts have confirmed they are reviewing multiple bids that have been submitted.
The UK shipyard employs approximately 250 staff across two sites in Oundle and Suffolk. Fairline Yachts entered administration in January 2025, just two months after its acquisition by Arrowbolt Propulsion Systems Limited.
The Oundle-based company appears to have avoided closure after a funding deal enabled its 250 employees to remain in their roles while new financing was secured. Joint administrators of Fairline Yachts Limited arranged funding through its existing specialist lender, DF Capital, and have been working to find a buyer to take the brand forward.
Multiple bids have been submitted and are currently under consideration by administrators Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP.
Michael Magnay, joint administrator at Alvarez & Marsal, told MIN in a statement: “We have been encouraged by the number of initial bids we have received for the company, which have come from both UK and international parties. We are continuing to work with a number of bidders with a view to receiving final bids this week and closing a transaction as soon as possible in the coming weeks.”
Fairline Yachts was founded in 1967, and has four yacht ranges, from 10m to 21m models, which are sold globally both directly and via local dealerships.
Fairline has faced financial turbulence before. In 2015, under the ownership of private equity firm Wessex Bristol, the company went into administration, resulting in 380 job losses before being acquired by Russian investors the following year. More recently, despite experiencing supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, and a labour shortage, Fairline maintained a strong order book, which was valued at £100m in early 2024. However, its latest accounts indicated a decline in turnover, dropping from £48.3m in 2022 to £41.1 million in 2023, though forecasts for 2024 had anticipated a rebound.
