History of a pioneer

Sale of Habitat division to Trigano

140th anniversary of Groupe Beneteau

Establishment in Tunisia: Groupe Beneteau Tunisia

Creation of the Boating Solutions division: boat rentals, boat clubs, charters, marinas, financing solutions and personalized digital experiences.

Acquisition of Wiziboat, specialized in boat clubs, mainly in France and Europe.

The Elium® revolution, recyclable resin: the BENETEAU First 44e and JEANNEAU Sun Fast 30 OD pave the way for a circular economy in the sailing industry.

Launch of our CSR program, B-Sustainable, for sustainable boating

Change of Governance: Bruno Thivoyon is appointed Managing Director of the Beneteau Group

Launch of Seanapps: the connected boat application

2020-2025 Strategic Plan: Let’s Go Beyond!

Launch of EXCESS, the second cruising catamaran brand.

Arrival of the Figaro Beneteau 3, the first production monotype equipped with foils, on the ocean racing circuit.

Launch of Band of Boats, the new community service platform for boating enthusiasts.

Acquisition of Delphia Yachts, Digital Nautic, and Seascape.

Adoption of the Group’s three-year global transformation plan.

Jeanneau celebrates its 60th anniversary and CNB celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Creation of the Racing Division of Groupe Beneteau, dedicated to performance sailing projects. The former JTA site in Nantes-Cheviré is home to the development of the Figaro Bénéteau 3, the first one-design offshore racing boat equipped with foils.

HOUSING

Closure of the Residential Housing business and conversion of the La Chaize le Vicomte factory to manufacture mobile homes.

ENGINE

Closure of motorboat production in Brazil.

North America: The Four Winns, Glastron, Wellcraft, and Scarab brands join the Group, strengthening its powerboat offering. This acquisition includes a production facility specializing in powerboats in Cadillac, Michigan.

BOAT

Lagoon celebrates its 30th anniversary.

HOUSING / INNOVATION

Creation of Coco Sweet: a new concept that’s both functional and cozy, for a new way to experience camping trips.

New headquarters of the Bénéteau brand in Givrand (Vendée) in an intelligent building defined according to the BBC (Low Energy Building) standard.

Installation in South America: inauguration of the Bénéteau production site in Brazil where the models of the Gran Turismo range will be built.

Bénéteau launches its Barracuda range aimed at sport fishermen.

First BH houses delivered to Les Herbiers (Vendée) in the Val de la Pellinière program consisting of 7 T4 houses and 7 T3 houses labeled BBC (Low Energy Building).

Entering the luxury motor yacht segment with the creation of Monte Carlo Yachts in Monfalcone, Italy, which now offers a range of yachts from 65 to 105 feet (19.82 m to 32.26 m).

Prestige becomes a brand in its own right and confirms its position in the motor yacht segment with the success of the Prestige 500 launched in 2010.

HOUSING

Construction of the BH (residential housing) factory in La Chaize-le-Vicomte. Modern and incorporating a high environmental quality approach, it has an annual production capacity of 600 homes.

Heirs to JTA’s performance culture, the Sun Fast sailboats are making their mark on the ocean racing landscape.

GROUP

Sale of Microcar and Wauquiez.

HOUSING

Development of the BH subsidiary in the new timber-frame residential housing market, meeting sustainable development requirements.

Idéale Résidence Mobile (IRM) joins the Groupe Beneteau and strengthens its Leisure Housing division.

CNB launches the Bordeaux 60, marking the shift towards a range of large, semi-custom yachts.

Opening of the Asia-Pacific sales and purchasing office in Shanghai, China. It will then be relocated to Hong Kong in 2016.

Creation of the Bénéteau Foundation.

Change of the company’s management structure to a Management Board and Supervisory Board.

Bénéteau celebrates its 120th anniversary in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie.

Lagoon, the world leader in cruising catamarans.

The Figaro Bénéteau 2 takes over the racetrack of the same name and confirms the shipyard’s reputation for reliability by completing the equivalent of eight Vendée Globe races, covering 180,000 miles.

Construction of the Group’s new headquarters in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, cradle of the Bénéteau family.

Creation of service subsidiaries: EYB (European Yacht Brokerage) and SGB Finance.

ENGINE

Jeanneau presents the Prestige 36 flybridge, laying the foundations for the new motor yacht range.

Transfer of small series activities to CNB: Bénéteau Pêche and Lagoon catamarans. Wauquiez (construction of semi-custom sailboats founded in 1965 by Henri Wauquiez) joins the Group and will be placed under the management of D. Gust.

The Jeanneau shipyards join the Groupe Beneteau, with their subsidiaries Microcar (license-free cars) and Lagoon (catamarans).

Mobile homes: the first O’Hara houses quickly became a trend in the outdoorhospitality sector.

CNB (large pleasure craft and professional vessels) in Bordeaux and the Gendron shipyards (professional fishing) in Herbaudière (Noirmoutier) are joining the Groupe Beneteau.

Jeanneau achieved a hat trick in the Route du Rhum, with the legendary victory of Florence Arthaud (Pierre 1er Group), followed by Fleury Michon and RMO, all built by JTA.

Bénéteau was selected to build the first Figaro Bénéteau 1 one-design for solo ocean racing. From 1990 to 2002, this boat completed the equivalent of seven Vendée Globe races, or 156,000 miles.

Designed for family cruising, Jeanneau’s Sun Odyssey range entered its 8th generation in 2017.

ENGINE

Jeanneau surprised everyone by introducing the first Prestige 41 Open and entering the motor yacht market.

Performance and aesthetics for the Bénéteau First 35.5, born from the union of two talents: designer Philippe Starck and architect Jean Berret.

Offshore and coastal cruising aboard the Bénéteau Océanis, designed by Philippe Briand, the range, which has become a global benchmark for cruising, entered its fourth generation in 2017.

Foundation of the Construction Navale Bordeaux (CNB) shipyard by Dieter Gust and Olivier Lafourcade.

Lagoon launches its first boat, the Lagoon 55, a fast cruising catamaran that will be mass-produced due to demand.

ENGINE

Jeanneau launches its Merry Fisher fishing-day cruiser range, which is now available in two lines: fishing and cruising.

First steps in America with the inauguration of the production unit in Marion, South Carolina (United States).

Centenary of the Bénéteau brand and introduction to the secondary market of the Paris stock exchange.

Creation of Jeanneau Advanced Techniques (JTA), a high-tech workshop which will produce around fifty prototypes intended for ocean racing.

Bénéteau is the world leader in sailboat construction with the success of the First and in particular the famous First 30.

One of the most competitive and stable sailboats of the time, the First 42 was designed by Argentinian architect German Frers.

A cocktail of new ideas for the Jeanneau Sun Fizz, designed by Philippe Briand, which would achieve international success.

Nicknamed the 4X4 of the seas, Jeanneau launches the Cap Camarat, which has become a timeless classic. In the same segment, Bénéteau launches the Flyer.

Bénéteau revisits tradition to offer the Swift Trawler, a safe, self-sufficient, highly seaworthy, and ultra-comfortable cruising boat, now the leader in its segment.

The legend of the Bénéteau First begins with the presentation of the First 30 designed by André Mauric.

The last pinnace in a long series produced by Bénéteau since the end of the 19th century, L’Astrobale is one of the finest creations of André Bénéteau père.

A revolution at Bénéteau with the planing hull of the Antarès, this range is now available with inboard and outboard engines.

Entering a new era with the first two-masted Bénéteau, the Evasion 32, designed by André Bénéteau. More luxurious, more spacious, and simply more “sailworthy.”

A seaworthy, innovative and attractive sailboat, the Jeanneau Sangria will sell more than 3,000 units.

A new concept in fishing cruises with the Bénéteau Baroudeur cabin, which allows guests to live on board. Throughout the 1970s, Bénéteau developed fishing cruises suitable for all audiences.

Democratization of the pleasure of fishing-walking thanks to the commercial success of 2 new models, the Forban and the Galion, produced in large volumes.

A new boat concept, Bénéteau’s “fishing cruisers” mark the manufacturer’s first participation at the Paris Boat Show.

SAILING

The first sail is hoisted on the Jeanneau Alizé, a four-berth sailboat that paves the way for recreational sailing.

Opening to pleasure boating and introduction of polyester in construction under the impetus of the third generation, Annette Bénéteau-Roux and André Bénéteau.

Creation of the Hall Nautique de l’Ouest by Henri Jeanneau (37 years old) in Les Herbiers (Vendée), which took the name Jeanneau in 1960.

Responding to the new fishing methods in the region, the Antigone was the first boat created to fish for tuna with live bait.

The entire fishing fleet had to be rebuilt after the war, and André Bénéteau was determined to improve it. He created gangways equipped with a steering wheel.

Symbols of the speed he wanted to give to his boats: construction of the Jeannot by André Bénéteau, followed by the christening of La Poursuivante in 1930.

The site was taken over by André Bénéteau (21 years old), son of Benjamin Bénéteau.

The first motor sardine boat, named the Vainqueur des jaloux, initially aroused fear among the local population, who accused the “tanker” of scaring away the fish, before convincing the profession.

Creation of the Bénéteau shipyard by Benjamin Bénéteau, naval architect, in Croix-de-Vie (Vendée), in order to build sailing trawlers for fishing sailors.