Arete was among Burgess sales late last year

Burgess has reported a record year for pre-owned superyacht sales, with sales in 2021 topping €2 billion (about US$2.27 billion) according to the last-known asking prices, representing a 27 per cent increase on the company’s previous annual high.

Of the transactions, over half were yachts over 50m in length. In addition, Burgess’ new-build division enjoyed its best-ever results, up 39 per cent on 2020.

Burgess’ brokerage team including members of the Asia division

Jonathan Beckett, CEO of Burgess, said: “In my 41 years at Burgess, I have never experienced a year quite like the one we have just seen.”

Burgess also said charter activity was high, with 2021 equalling its previous-best year in 2019. The British-owned company reported a two per cent increase in the number of yachts available for charter, compared to an average increase of five per cent in previous years.

Titania was Burgess’ best-performing charter yacht

Richard Lambert, Burgess’ Head of Sales, said: “More owners are deciding to keep their yachts private this year. This could be for a number of reasons, but Covid is arguably the biggest driving factor, with owners reserving their yachts for exclusive use for the family.” 

Burgess, which has over 200 full-time staff in 15 offices around the world, is confident of another bumper year for charter in 2022, with bookings already up by 25 per cent for the summer.

Victorious is a new addition to the Burgess charter fleet

“Fasten your seatbelts, as we’re in for another exciting 12 months,” Beckett said. “There will be some bumps in the road, but if we work hard and concentrate, we all stand a great chance of success.”

In 2021, Burgess Asia passed 20 transactions in the region since it was established in 2015.
www.burgessyachts.com