Chinese UHNWIs to replace lost generation?
Following its profiling of the current generation of superyacht owners, Wealth-X has published a separate report that identifies China as home to the youngest billionaires. As a superyacht market however, the country remains unproven.…
When Wealth-X’s CEO, Mykolas Rambus opened the 2013 Global Superyacht Forum he provided delegates with a snapshot of the typical superyacht owner. According to Rambus the average superyacht owner is 63 years old, male and with a net worth of $680 million.
This encouraging hypothetical profile however, was dulled by a pessimistic outlook for the future of yacht ownership. Clyde & Co.’s John Leonida said that the superyacht industry had suffered the loss of a “generation of superyacht owners in 2008”, when the financial crash decimated vast swathes of personal wealth. And since then, added Salamanca Group’s Martin Bellamy, UHNWIs are more inclined to invest their liquid wealth. "If you are a fairly wealthy person,” he said, “buying a yacht is the last thing on your list".
But a separate study conducted by Wealth-X, in collaboration with UBS, has identified a prime source for the next generation of superyacht owners. According to the report, China is home to the youngest pool of billionaires, with an average of 53 years old, ten years younger than the industry’s current target demographic. Furthermore, the average Chinese billionaire has wealth that far exceeds Rambus’ owner profile - $2.4 billion with liquidity of 10 per cent.
Upon opening its dedicated Chinese office in Yalong Bay, Perini Navi Group’s CEO, Giancarlo Ragnetti said “We are ready to intrigue and excite a new Chinese clientele, who are increasingly showing themselves to be tuned into the latest yachts coming out and innovations in yachting.”
But for Andy Treadwell, whose company Singapore Yacht Events organises the increasingly prominent Singapore Yacht Show, China is not the most attractive Asian superyacht market. “People who think ‘China’ for Asia are making a big mistake”, he explained. “For the next 10 years there will be more opportunities in the rest of Asia put together than in China alone. The smart players will have smaller, but nonetheless important, representation in Asia; Singapore is the primary hub and logical regional platform in which to have a base.”
Either way, it is up to the superyacht industry to replenish its pool of owners.
This encouraging hypothetical profile however, was dulled by a pessimistic outlook for the future of yacht ownership. Clyde & Co.’s John Leonida said that the superyacht industry had suffered the loss of a “generation of superyacht owners in 2008”, when the financial crash decimated vast swathes of personal wealth. And since then, added Salamanca Group’s Martin Bellamy, UHNWIs are more inclined to invest their liquid wealth. "If you are a fairly wealthy person,” he said, “buying a yacht is the last thing on your list".
But a separate study conducted by Wealth-X, in collaboration with UBS, has identified a prime source for the next generation of superyacht owners. According to the report, China is home to the youngest pool of billionaires, with an average of 53 years old, ten years younger than the industry’s current target demographic. Furthermore, the average Chinese billionaire has wealth that far exceeds Rambus’ owner profile - $2.4 billion with liquidity of 10 per cent.
Mykolas Rambus profiles the average superyacht owner at the Global Superyacht Forum.
As a superyacht sales market however, China has been viewed with frustration and bewilderment in equal measure. Whereas for some it represents an exciting opportunity, for others it is something of a white elephant. Upon opening its dedicated Chinese office in Yalong Bay, Perini Navi Group’s CEO, Giancarlo Ragnetti said “We are ready to intrigue and excite a new Chinese clientele, who are increasingly showing themselves to be tuned into the latest yachts coming out and innovations in yachting.”
But for Andy Treadwell, whose company Singapore Yacht Events organises the increasingly prominent Singapore Yacht Show, China is not the most attractive Asian superyacht market. “People who think ‘China’ for Asia are making a big mistake”, he explained. “For the next 10 years there will be more opportunities in the rest of Asia put together than in China alone. The smart players will have smaller, but nonetheless important, representation in Asia; Singapore is the primary hub and logical regional platform in which to have a base.”
Either way, it is up to the superyacht industry to replenish its pool of owners.
Companies have enjoyed varying levels of success selling into China.
Profile links
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
