The Giangrasso shipyard claims the Cantieri Navali Austin Parker brand which it acquired
Despite the recent announcement of the sale of Austin Parker Yachts to the Turkish Baris Nalcaci, the Tuscan entrepreneur has announced that he has acquired a similar brand from the National Agency for Confiscated Goods and is therefore the only one authorised to use it.
Bartolomeo Giangrasso, entrepreneur and founder of Cantieri Navali Giangrasso, based in Viareggio and specializing in the refit of large yachts, announced in a statement that, following a process that saw him negotiate directly with the ANBSC (National Agency for Confiscated Goods) for several months, he has obtained authorization to use the Cantieri Navali Austin Parker trademark. This authorization is now sanctioned by a formal license agreement. This announcement comes just days after the news that The Italian shipyard “Austin Parker Yachts” has been acquired by Turkish businessman Baris Nalcaci.
Cantieri Navali Giangrasso has announced that it will be able to produce and market boats under the Cantieri Navali Austin Parker brand. Giangrasso announced that these activities will take place in its Tuscan facilities, thus revitalizing the brand and involving both current models and the development of new ones to be offered to the market.
In the Giangrasso Group's plans for Cantieri Navali Austin Parker, which currently has a range of yachts from 36 to 86 feet, the note specifies that "there is also the development of an international clientele and the desire to create new custom models in different materials (fiberglass, aluminum, steel) as well as in various sizes."
The result on the market is therefore that of two groups that produce and promote yachts under two almost identical brands: Giangrasso with Cantieri Navali Austin Parker and the Turkish Nalcaci with Austin Parker Yachts.
To try to bring order to this tangle of brands and construction sites, it's worth remembering that in 2014, Austin Parker's shares were seized by the Court of Rome and, in 2019, definitively confiscated by the Supreme Court of Cassation. They were then transferred to the National Agency for Confiscated Assets, which legally acquired all tangible and intangible assets and rights, overseeing their management through the appointment of Assistants.
Now, in his statement, Bartolomeo Giangrasso emphasizes that "in 2023, the state agency (ANBSC), through a license agreement, granted Cantieri Navali Giangrasso the status of legally recognized licensee of the Cantiere Navale Austin Parker brand, granting the shipyard the exclusive manufacturing and commercial partnership. Giangrasso, by virtue of this important agreement signed with the patronage of the Italian State, the legitimate owner and custodian of the Austin Parker brand, will be able to build Austin Parker-branded vessels at its Viareggio facilities."
At this point, it remains to be seen whether and how Giangrasso himself intends to protect his interests in the face of another shipyard producing yachts with a virtually identical brand.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE SUPER YACHT 24 NEWSLETTER
Italian Austin Parker Yachts acquired by Turkish owner Baris Nalcaci
