Sunseeker International launches Sunseeker Europe following distributor administration

Sunseeker International has launched Sunseeker Europe, a new operation that will take responsibility for distribution, service and warranty support across European and international territories previously served by independent distributors Sunseeker London and Sunseeker Poole (SSL).

The move follows notices of intention to appoint administrators filed by Sunseeker London and Sunseeker Poole. The two businesses, which are under the common control of David Lewis and Christopher Head, are responsible for annual sales of about £260m. Their pre-tax profits in 2024 were below £1m.

Sunseeker London is the parent company of a substantial overseas distributor network operating under the Sunseeker name, with businesses in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey, Portugal, Montenegro and Croatia. The wider group also operates UK brokerage and charter businesses. According to the group, it sells more than half of the Poole shipyard’s annual production.

Sunseeker Poole operates from premises next to Sunseeker International’s Poole shipyard. The administration notices provide the companies with statutory protection from creditors for up to 10 business days.

Lewis and Head founded Sunseeker London in 1993 after previously working together at Lewis’s father’s marine business in east London. The business subsequently grew into a network of 40 branches across 20 countries in Europe and North Africa.

No interruption to customer orders

Sunseeker London has a five-year exclusive distribution agreement with Sunseeker International, renewed in 2022. The agreement covers the distribution of Sunseeker yachts through the distributor network.

Sunseeker International says production at its Dorset facilities is continuing, with no interruption to customer orders or yachts currently under construction. Customers with yachts in build or on order will continue to receive support during construction, delivery and handover, while existing owners will continue to receive service, aftersales and warranty support from the Sunseeker team. Sunseeker Europe will operate from the company’s Dorset facilities.

The distributor changes come after a period of financial restructuring at Sunseeker International. The manufacturer was acquired from China’s Dalian Wanda Group in November 2024 by US-based Lionheart Capital and Italy’s Orienta Capital Partners. The transaction was funded through a combination of debt and equity and placed about £70m of secured term debt on the business. Within a year, breaches of the loan covenants had resulted in a default.

A consortium led by KCP Holdings, together with Lionheart Capital, agreed in March 2026 to acquire the business outright, but the transaction subsequently collapsed. Cheyne Capital and Cross Ocean Partners, which had provided emergency funding during 2025, acquired the business in July 2026 and have since provided about £68m of additional funding on top of the original facility.

Newly appointed chief commercial officer Andy Gawthorpe says: “The launch of Sunseeker Europe marks an important step in bringing our customers closer to the heart of the Sunseeker brand. Owning a Sunseeker has always been about more than the yacht itself; it is about the people, expertise and passion behind creating it together.

“By taking responsibility for these markets, we can build even stronger relationships with our customers, provide a more connected and seamless experience, and give owners greater access to the teams who design, engineer and build our yachts. That is an exciting development for both Sunseeker and our European customers.”

SSL are separate legal entities from Sunseeker International, the manufacturer of Sunseeker yachts. The administration notices relate solely to SSL and do not affect Sunseeker International’s operations, production or financial position.

Interim CEO: ‘Sunseeker needed predictability’

In an interview earlier this summer, Steve Timms – interim CEO – told MIN that he was working to develop the interface with Sunseeker’s distribution network.  The idea was to be able to “understand how they’re retailing, what’s not retailing, and why. Do we need to feed that back into more marketing?,” he asks. “Do we need to work on more product awareness? Do we need more brand training, product training, etc?” Timms also said he was looking for feedback in “real time again”.

He was adamant that Sunseeker needed predictability from dealers and distributors, and likewise, the sales network needs it from the company.

“They need to understand what we are building in five years’ time, what we are building in four years, three years, what new product have we got coming forward, what marketing materials do they need around this new product so they can be forward selling. And what you get from that is that predictability that comes back into the organisation.

“So your sales and ops planning loop is not reactionary, which is maybe where, you know, we’ve been. You’re reacting to selling boats last minute, and then that normally means there’s some sort of disruption and inefficiencies.”

He was keen to stress that Sunseeker would still offer flexibility to customise boats, but he would prefer it to be done in good time.

At a recent supplier conference, the company hosted around 27 dealers and distributors on site.

“We gave them a view on our product, where we’re going,” says Timms. “We also gave them questionnaires so that we could get feedback around our product, around what our customers want.”

Timms noted there are improvements being made in the whole Sunseeker experience. “It’s not just the buying of the boat. It’s the pre-experience, it’s the buying experience, the shipyard tours, watching your boat all the way through build, how we’ve engaged with them [customers] from a boat show or event, and then how are you looking after them afterwards and communicating.”