Henri-Lloyd names Balkan distributor
Henri-Lloyd’s James Tinkler (left) with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic.
Henri-Lloyd has appointed Yachting Mission 524 as its distributor for Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, expanding the brand’s presence in the Balkan region.
Yachting Mission 524, which is based in the Croatian city of Split, was founded by Olympic Finn sailor Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic and has recently opened a new showroom to present Henri-Lloyd’s full range of marine apparel and accessories.
The collection includes garments made from PFC-free and recycled waterproof and water-resistant fabrics, four-way stretch materials and taped seams.
Alongside introducing the range to retail outlets, Gaspic will work with regional sailing teams, events and charter operators. “Croatia is a leading holiday destination and supports the world’s largest bareboat charter fleet,” he says. “In addition, the Croatia Sailing Federation hosts over 400 registered regattas every year.
“These events and corporate regattas offer a huge opportunity to highlight the Henri-Lloyd range as team wear and branded corporate clothing.”
James Tinkler, international sales manager at Henri-Lloyd, says: “This region is increasingly important as a major yachting destination for sailing holidays and regattas alike. We are very pleased to have Yachting Mission 524 join our team and look forward to continued success in the market.”
Yachting Mission 524 recently took part in Henri-Lloyd’s 2025 international sales meeting in London, where the team previewed upcoming collections of technical and leisure apparel. These will be presented to the trade at Metstrade in November 2025.
“It’s an exciting time to be working again with Henri-Lloyd,” says Gaspic. “I have a strong affinity for the company, as they supported me during my Olympic sailing campaigns, and in fact, I still have some of my clothing from that time – and it still works.” Gaspic competed in the International Finn class at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, where he also raced against Sir Ben Ainslie.
