Luxury yacht brokerage and charter firm Burgess Yachts has opened a new office in Palm Beach, expanding its U.S. presence as more of the yacht-builder’s clients spend time in South Florida.
The office, at 333 Peruvian Ave., opened after renovations to an existing space. It marks Burgess’ second location in Florida and fifth in the country, joining offices in Miami; New York; Aspen, Colorado; and Newport Beach, California. With headquarters in London, the company also has more than a dozen other offices aboard.
Burgess Yachts is among the exhibitors at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, which rus through Sunday on the Flagler Drive waterfront in Palm Beach.
Palm Beach has long been on the company’s radar, said Nicolle Austin, Burgess’ chief operating officer for the Americas, but the timing reflects recent shifts in where clients are living and spending time.
“Post-COVID, we’ve seen a lot of wealth migration to Florida, and specifically to Palm Beach,” Austin said. “Many of our clients ended up staying there. It’s important for us to be where our clients are.”
Austin said the Palm Beach market differs from Miami, where Burgess has had a presence for decades.
“What we find is Palm Beach is more of a domestic U.S.-based clientele, whereas Miami is a little bit more international,” she said.
Opened in January a block from Worth Avenue, the new office is designed as a storefront rather than a traditional brokerage space, allowing walk-in conversations with prospective and current clients, Austin said. The location is near major marinas, including West Palm Beach’s Safe Harbor Rybovich, where many large yachts dock.
The Palm Beach team currently includes about a dozen employees and is expected to grow.
“We started with maybe nine people a few months ago, and now we’re up to 12 already,” Austin said. “That’s quite a significant growth on a percentage basis for that office. So, we’re going to continue to grow out the team in Palm Beach over the next year.”
The office will handle brokerage, charter and yacht management services locally, connecting clients with Burgess’ global network of 19 offices and more than 300 employees worldwide.
Demand remains strong, particularly for the charter segment, as families and groups plan summer trips in the Mediterranean, Austin said.
“This is a really busy time for our charter teams,” she said. “Most people are planning their summer vacations in the Med, so everyone is looking at availability and coordinating schedules.”
Austin said she expects Palm Beach’s role in the global yachting industry to continue expanding.
“As wealth transfer continues over the next decade, Palm Beach will remain one of the wealth epicenters of the U.S.,” she said. “With its proximity to the ocean, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, I see yachting becoming an even larger part of the lifestyle here.”
At the boat show on Flagler Drive, Burgess is hosting clients at its flagship stand on Docks D & E, offering private chauffeur service and catering from Le Bilboquet Market.
Burgess’ lineup for the show includes the 145-foot catamaran Hemisphere, the 197-foot German-built Scott Free, the 94-foot Italian-built Sayonara, and the 110-foot Taiwan-built El Mirar II.
IF YOU GO
The Palm Beach International Boat Show will run through March 29 along South Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. March 26-28; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 29. Tickets range in price from $37 to $430. Details are available at PBBoatShow.com.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Burgess Yachts expands to Palm Beach with new brokerage office
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
