UK-Halsey has signed a license agreement with Deme Voiles, an established French sail loft on the Atlantic coast of France in the town of Le Pouliguen, which is just north of the mouth of the Loire River. The loft specializes in reliable offshore cruising sails and looks forward to expanding into the racing market by using the strength of the UK-Halsey brand and the group�s Titanium technology. Dem�'s president, Laurence Bizeul, said that she looks forward to working with Alain Janet, the owner and president of the UK-Halsey loft in Antibes on the Mediterranean to serve sailors all across France.
DEME VOILES was founded in 1952 when the loft dealt primarily with fishing boats before expanding into the cruising sail market. In the 1990's, the company acquired Tasker France and also BM Sails. The BMA brand was created and became one of the largest suppliers for Jenneau Yachts. Since 2002, DEME has supplied sails for AMEL Yachts and also OUTREMER, a catamaran manufacturer.
A new loft building with a ground floor area of 1200 sqm was constructed in 2002. DEME VOILES employs seven sailmakers. The company also has representatives in Le Harve, Ile d'Yeu, Port de Broc and other western French sailing areas. UK-Halsey welcomes this new presence in such an important sailing market. Just after joining the group, the two French lofts teamed up to man a combined booth at the Paris boat show.
|