BTG has confirmed advising Sunseeker London and Sunseeker Poole on the sale of their business and assets to Sunseeker International through a pre-packaged administration sale, completing a deal that began when the two distributors filed notices of intention to appoint administrators on 2 September.
The transaction was led for BTG by partners Jamie Taylor, Robert Ferne and Felix Connolly. It sees Sunseeker Europe, the division Sunseeker International launched in response to the administration filing, take over the acquired assets.
Up to 42 Roles Retained
Sunseeker is in the process of offering roles to up to 42 former Sunseeker London employees as operations move across into the Sunseeker Europe structure. BTG says the aim is to retain expertise and existing customer relationships through the transition.
Sunseeker London was set up more than three decades ago by David Lewis and Christopher Head. It grew into the largest official distributor of Sunseeker yachts, selling more than half the yard’s annual production and covering a significant share of the European market, a history Powerboat News covered in full when the administration filing first emerged.
BTG on the Deal
Robert Ferne, Partner at BTG, on the state of the market the sale was agreed in:
In recent years, the luxury motor yacht industry has faced challenging trading conditions and economic uncertainty, resulting in reduced sales volumes across a number of high-end yachting segments. The downturn in the marine sector has been well documented and its impact has been felt across the industry, but where there are strong underlying businesses there are good opportunities to create value.
Ferne said BTG, Sunseeker London, Sunseeker Poole and Sunseeker International worked collaboratively to find a solution that kept the businesses operating, offered roles to the 42 former employees, and maximised value for creditors.
Production Continues
Sunseeker International says production at its Dorset facilities is continuing without interruption, with customer orders and yachts under construction unaffected. Owners will keep receiving service, aftersales and warranty support from the same team, now delivered through Sunseeker Europe rather than the outgoing distributors.
The Wider Picture
The distributor sale is the latest turn in a run of ownership changes at Sunseeker International itself. Dalian Wanda Group sold the business to Lionheart Capital and Orienta Capital Partners in November 2024, a deal that placed around £70 million of secured debt on the company and defaulted on its covenants within a year. A consortium led by KCP Holdings agreed to buy the business in March 2026, only for that deal to collapse the following month. Cheyne Capital and Cross Ocean Partners, already lenders to Sunseeker, took over instead in July and confirmed Scott Millar as permanent chief executive.
Sunseeker London and Sunseeker Poole had been the one part of the business untouched by that churn, until now.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
