Superyacht broker Burgess looks back on a record year

Nearing the end of 2022, international superyacht broker Burgess has announced an extremely healthy sales year across all departments. The brokerage saw a domino effect as a result of the pandemic, with more customers looking to travel in the summer, which boosted demand for charters.

“We have had another great year in all departments. With over $2 billion in brokerage revenue, an increase of about 50% in charter business compared to pre-pandemic levels, and a 20% increase in newbuilds year-over-year, I am very pleased with the unstoppable efforts of our team,” said CEO Jonathan Beckett.

Burgess said 2022’s high profit margins are due to the company’s culture. Burgess attributes 2022’s $2 billion in revenue to a culture of information sharing and guidance from senior members of the brokerage team.

“Our service is second to none, and we just get the job done, whether we’re selling a 30-meter yacht or a 100-meter yacht – we provide the same service to our clients. At the end of the day, we’re in the relationship business, and that’s where we shine,” says Richard Lambert, Head of Sales.

In the charter sector, the company registered 860 bookings, which means that Burgess’ customers spent a total of 1100 weeks or 7700 days on charter this year. Ben Harwood, head of charter, attributed the success to pent-up demand due to the pandemic: “Everyone just wants to get away and travel,” Harwood said, adding, “Our U.S. customers were ready to head back to the Mediterranean after many had preferred to charter closer to home in the Bahamas or Caribbean in recent years.”

A surge in charter demand in the weeks from mid-June to mid-August meant the Burgess fleet was fully booked. As a result, customers had to book very early to secure the yachts of their choice for the weeks they wanted. Burgess reports that the trend toward advance booking will continue into 2023 and 2024. Burgess Charter has responded to this demand by adding more yachts to its fleet: “We have contracted 23 more yachts so far this year,” confirms Harwood.