LAKE FOREST, Ill., Feb. 14, 2006 – Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) announced today that it has acquired a marina on Florida’s West Coast. This marina is adjoined by a large boat and yacht service facility that was simultaneously purchased by MarineMax, Inc. (NYSE: HZO). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The marina and service facility, known as Great American Marine, is conveniently located just off the Intracoastal Waterway on Boca Ciega Bay near St. Petersburg, Fla. Brunswick will own the 95-slip marina, while MarineMax will own and operate the service portion of the property.
“This is the first of what Brunswick hopes will be further initiatives to partner with our entire network of dealers to provide our customers with access to water, and to provide an exceptional boating experience,” explained Dustan E. McCoy, chairman and chief executive officer of Brunswick Corporation. “This partnership with MarineMax, with their customer-centric strategies, is a great place to start. Going forward, we will continue to explore means to advance the interests of boating and of all of our dealer partners.”
William H. McGill, Jr., chairman, chief executive officer, and president of MarineMax, stated, “We are very excited to acquire a service facility of this scale on the West Coast of Florida. This new facility complements our already strong presence in the area and further enhances our strategy of improving our customers’ experience.
We are glad to be in partnership with Brunswick Corporation, which purchased the adjoining marina. We feel the service facility and the marina will bring added synergies to both companies and demonstrates the strength of our relationship.”
Brunswick said it plans to evaluate opportunities to update the marina facilities in the near future.