Whilton Marina expands business with Venetian Marine purchase
Whilton Marina, the leading narrowboat specialist, has expanded its business with the purchase of a marina in Cheshire.
Venetian Marine is one of the premier marinas in north-west England - featuring a workshop, chandlery, tea rooms and gift shop. When company founder John Dean retired in December 2011, Whilton Marina bought the site for an undisclosed sum – reinforcing its position as the UK’s largest and most successful narrowboat broker and confirming its intent for business expansion.
Located within the Cheshire Ring and Four Counties Ring, Venetian Marine offers easy access to a range of destinations – from short routes such as Nantwich, Chester and Audlem through to steady cruises taking in sights such as the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Market Drayton, Manchester and Birmingham.
Over the next two years, the company plans to invest up to £500,000 on improving the marina infrastructure. Proposed improvements include fitting new piers, repiling the water’s edge, electric to all piers, a new water system and wi-fi access to mooring customers.
Commenting on the purchase, Robert Steele, director of Whilton Marina Ltd, said: “The two businesses have much in common. Both founded as family-run enterprises, we also celebrated our 40th anniversaries in 2011 – making us pioneers of the modern-day boating industry.
“We have a lot of respect for the successful business that we’re taking on and will stay true to the founding family ethos. We’re proud to keep the existing team, which has served the business for years.
“We’re planning to develop site facilities for customers – keeping the existing services and building on them, to revitalise the locks on the canal system.
“We also want to remind people why Venetian Marine was known as the place to go in the north-west for boat sales. We’ll do this by combining Venetian’s business expertise with our own, and providing a more local base for Whilton Marina’s longstanding customers within the region.”
Contact
For further details, please call Abby Steele on 01327 842577 or email abby@whiltonmarina.co.uk.