CNB sold to Solaris

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The CNB Rendez-Vous; Photos: Nicolas Claris

Groupe Beneteau has signed an agreement with Solaris to sell the CNB Yacht Builders brand to the Italian yard. In line with the ‘Let’s Go Beyond!’ strategic plan announced last year, Groupe Beneteau aims to reduce its portfolio of boat-building brands from 12 to eight: Beneteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Lagoon, Four Winns, Wellcraft, Delphia and Excess. CNB is the first brand to be sold since the announcement of the strategy.

Over the past two years, Groupe Beneteau had moved production of CNB sailing yachts from the brand’s original site at Construction Navale Bordeaux (CNB) in the west of France to Monfalcone in the northeast of Italy, where the group owns a facility that builds yachts by Monte Carlo Yachts and bigger models from other brands such as Beneteau’s Grand Trawler 62.

The CNB yachts currently being built and the CNB 66 and CNB 76 models sold in 2021 will continue to be produced in Monfalcone. From 2022, production of CNB yachts will gradually transition to the Solaris site, which is around 20 km from Monfalcone. Vincent Arnaud, CNB’s Brand Director, will pursue his career with CNB alongside Solaris.

The CNB 76 Malaika

According to Groupe Beneteau: “By joining Solaris, CNB’s future will be developed within a smaller, more responsive structure. Its facilities are calibrated for producing small series with high levels of customisation and quality for each boat.”

This operation will not have any impact on the jobs previously linked to designing and building the CNB units within Groupe Beneteau. In both Bordeaux and Monfalcone, the employees will continue working on the other boat models offered by Groupe Beneteau’s brands.