Boats.co.uk expands Mallorca operations

Essex-based boat brokerage Boats.co.uk has expanded its operations on Mallorca, with a new office and servicing team

Boats.co.uk has opened a new base on Mallorca, expanding the Essex-based brokerage’s network.

The new facility in Marina Cala D’Or will offer servicing, brokerage and technical support, plus shoreside storage for up to 25 boats.

What’s more, joint managing director Nick Barke (pictured above) has relocated to Mallorca, underlining the importance of the new premises to Boats.co.uk.

“This is a great opportunity for us to bring our internationally recognised high standards of service to this important centre of boating in the Mediterranean,” he said.

And plans are in place to open a second office in the marina, in partnership with Princess Motor Yacht Sales and managed by former Fairline Cala D’Or boss Charles Keily.

Boats.co.uk already had a strong presence in Mallorca, with three charter boats based on the Balearic island, but this new announcement represents a real statement of intent.

Nick Barke added that the company is responding to an ongoing trend: “Many of our UK customers move their boats down to the Balearic Islands to enjoy the great boating and easy access.

“They can now feel confident that the standards of service they have been used to from Boats.co.uk here in the UK can now be enjoyed in their Mediterranean cruising waters,” he added.

Founded in the 1980s as Essex Boatyards, the brokerage firm changed its name to Boats.co.uk in December 2014 and switched its new boats partnership from Fairline to Princess Yachts in April 2015, before adding a second office in Salterns Marina, Poole.

This transitional period was capped off last month, when the company won the Outstanding Service Award, sponsored by Lombard, at the 2016 Motor Boat Awards.