Leading a network of about fifteen dealerships, the sprawling Vendée-based company RCMarine continues its all-encompassing development strategy. Its CEO, Luca Brancaleon, announced at the Düsseldorf boat show on January 18th the acquisition of the importation rights for the Polish brand Galeon.
Founded by the businessman Ronan Chabot, RCM is one of the largest automotive distributors of brands such as Toyota Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche through about sixty dealerships, mainly in France and Belgium. Since 2019, this Vendée-based company, with a turnover exceeding two billion euros, has been dynamically diversifying into the field of boating with the creation of RCMarine.
RCMarine quickly embarked on an aggressive acquisition policy of Beneteau dealerships on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, as well as the distribution of brands like Azimut and Highfield.
Former CEO of the Beneteau brand, Luca Brancaleon has been the head of RCMarine since 2022, which has just taken over the distribution of the Polish brand Galeon. We met him at the Düsseldorf boat show in 2025.
Could you remind us how the RC Marine adventure started?
Luca Brancaleon: RCMarine was established in 2019 when I was the General Manager of the Beneteau brand. At that time, I approved RCMarine as a Beneteau distributor, following its bulk acquisition of the Beneteau dealerships in Saint-Gilles Croix de Vie, Les Sables d'Olonne, and Le Crouesty.
RCMarine then acquired Ouest Service in Pornic and Ocean Nautique in La Rochelle. In 2022, I left Beneteau to become the CEO of RCMarine, where I continued this rapid development strategy by acquiring the Paturle Nautic dealerships in Antibes, Mandelieu, and Cogolin.
We continued with the acquisition of Quo Vadis in Hyères and La Seyne-sur-Mer. Finally, there was the purchase of a dealership in Sainte-Maxime.
What is RCMarine's position in the boating market today?
Luca Brancaleon: Today, we have 15 sales points and two shipyards, one in La Seyne-sur-Mer (formerly Quo Vadis) and the other in Marina Baie des Anges near Nice, where we have made significant investments for upgrades.
Which brands do you distribute?
L.B: Firstly, the Beneteau brand. It is distributed in 11 dealerships as we have also opened sales points in Noirmoutier and Brest.
After that, we have exclusive distribution rights for Wellcraft, Four Winns, and the rigid inflatable boats from Highfield. We are also importers of the electric boats Capoforte for all of France, as well as distributors of Invictus on the Atlantic coast and BWA in the south.
Furthermore, RCMarine is associated with the Cannes-based company Azimut France, which imports the luxurious Italian Azimut boats.
Since the opening of the Düsseldorf boat show on January 18, 2025, you have also become the exclusive distributor of Galeon in France. Why this Polish brand?
L.B: Galeon will clearly allow us to expand our offering in the fly-bridge boat market while being different from the segment occupied by Azimut.
It's worth noting that for three years, Beneteau has stopped its fly-bridge range. So, we've been looking for a product of this quality for a while so that our customers can continue to grow with us.
With Galeon, what will be your strategy and objectives?
L.B: We obviously have objectives, but we want first and foremost for the Galeon brand to regain a reputation and an image that matches its quality. This will involve a marketing plan with communication, events, and press trials.
With Galeon, we will be able to better satisfy our French customers as well as those who sail in Italy or Sardinia, as we also become the importer of the brand for Italy and the Benelux.
Expanding our reach is also a way to strengthen the dealerships, create more synergy between them, and pool our resources. In the end, customer satisfaction is what matters.
In your opinion, what are the strengths of a brand like Galeon?
Luca Brancaleon: It's a shipyard that innovates a lot. It was notably the first in the fly-bridge segment to offer large side terraces found on several models. It is also very strong in customizing boats, thanks to its ability to offer a variety of finishes, wood essences, lacquer colors, different textiles, etc.
Moreover, it's a shipyard with a very short time to market. This allows for great responsiveness and the introduction of novelties in a much shorter time compared to other builders.
The range is also particularly comprehensive with around twenty models from 32 to 80 feet. For RCMarine, this gives us the opportunity to have compact fly-bridge boats with 36, 40, and 44 feet which will be perfect for our clientele on the Atlantic coast.
Technically, these boats are mainly shaft-driven, a transmission that no longer exists since the rise of Volvo IPS pods but is still quite in demand.
What is the new Galeon feature at the Düsseldorf show?
L.B: It's the Galeon 435 GTI, the inboard version of the 435 GTO which was previously outboard. It is a hard-top cruiser with double folding rear bulwarks that form a huge cockpit terrace combined with the bathing platform.
Its price is also very competitive, around 800,000 to one million euros excluding taxes depending on the equipment.
Here, we are clearly in competition with an Azimut Verve 42.
Practice
Products Review
Best
Yachts Review
How To
Wiki
Company
