Simon Benest has bought the business from John Sawyer, Brian Tanguy, Jonathan Segal and Paul Battrick for an undisclosed sum.
r Benest – who previously owned the Benest and Fineprice supermarkets before selling them to CI Traders in July – is joined on the new board by Sean Fellows, who was previously managing director of Mr Benest’s stores, and by Mr Battrick, a member of the St Helier Lifeboat crew and the public duty co-ordinator for St John Ambulance.
r Benest’s 22-year-old son Sam, like his father a keen sailor, will be joining the management team.
he change in ownership for the business, which was founded by Bill Kent in 1926, took effect last Friday.
There are no immediate plans to change staff or core business activities, which include a chandlery, clothes store, repair yard, brokerage department, rigging loft, electronics department, paint spray shop and fuel depot.
owever, the new management team is already developing a business strategy that will take the shipyard into new waters.
Most of the plans are confidential for the time being but the team does plan to launch an online chandlery store as a major extension to the existing website – www.
outhpiershipyard.
om.
Under the guidance of the previous owners South Pier Shipyard has undergone significant and very successful changes in recent years,’ said Mr Benest.
‘We are determined to invest in both the business and, in particular, the excellent team of staff who have helped achieve that success.
We have exciting plans for the future that will ultimately enable the organisation to provide a total outdoor activities package.
