Former Tottenham Hotspur Executive-led Consortium Emerges as Preferred Bidder for Fairline Yachts
Reports in various media, including Sky News, have claimed that an investment vehicle founded by a former Tottenham Hotspur Football Club executive has emerged as the preferred bidder for Fairline Yachts, two months after the British boatbuilder fell into administration.
On Monday (24 March 2025), Sky News reported that a consortium led by Bronzewood Capital, the private equity arm of advisory firm Buchler Phillips, “has secured the status of preferred bidder for Fairline Yachts.”
Sky News quotes “sources close to Bronzewood”, whose boss, David Buchler, was a vice-chairman of Spurs for years, saying the firm plans “to retain the bulk of Fairline’s workforce as part of the deal.”
The Northamptonshire-based shipyard employs approximately 250 staff across two sites in Oundle and Suffolk. Fairline Yachts entered administration in January 2025, just two months after its acquisition by Arrowbolt Propulsion Systems Limited. Multiple bids have been submitted and are currently under consideration by administrators Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP.
Sky quotes a “source close to the buyer” who states that Fairline staff were briefed by the administrators yesterday morning that a preferred bidder had been chosen.
MIN approached Alvarez & Marsal to confirm or deny the reports, and the firm refused to issue any comment.
The price reportedly being paid by Bronzewood — which was established in February 2025 — remains unclear, but the unnamed sources say a deal could potentially be completed within the next week.
Fairline Yachts was founded in 1967 and has four yacht ranges, from 10m to 21m models, which are sold globally both directly and via local dealerships.
Fairline has faced financial turbulence before. In 2015, under the ownership of private equity firm Wessex Bristol, the company went into administration, resulting in 380 job losses before being acquired by Russian investors the following year. More recently, despite experiencing supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and a labor shortage, Fairline maintained a strong order book, valued at £100m in early 2024. However, its latest accounts indicated a decline in turnover, dropping from £48.3m in 2022 to £41.1 million in 2023, though forecasts for 2024 had anticipated a rebound.
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