The figures are published by the British Marine Federation – the UK’s leisure marine sector trade body – and show the important contribution that boating and associated industries make to UK PLC. The headline findings include:

The total turnover of the UK leisure & small commercial marine industry is almost £3 billion – an increase of around 6.5% from 2005/6 
 

Export revenue is in excess of £1 billion – an uplift value of over 12% from 2005/6.
 

·         There are almost 35,700 employees across the industry in the UK, an increase of 1.9% from 2005/6

·         There are around 4,300 businesses operating in the UK leisure & small commercial marine market 

With growing employment figures, a strong and increasing contribution to the value of UK exports and solid expansion in turnover, the leisure marine industry continues to demonstrate its ability to innovate and succeed in the wider economic environment.

The report details the economic impact of the UK leisure marine industry - showing its value to regional economies. The south east and south west retain the largest market share, but other parts of the country have experienced strong growth over the past year.

Joel Plasco, Chief Executive of Collins Stewart said:

“The figures published today show a healthy growth in the UK leisure marine industry in current challenging markets.  This is a great success story and Collins Stewart is pleased to be associated with this thriving industry, renowned for its high quality marine products and services, for a second year running”

Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the BMF added:

“The release of our latest industry figures is a welcome boost for the industry illustrating healthy overall growth in both turnover and the number of people employed. 

The leisure and small commercial marine sector is a diverse and growing part of the UK economy. Our boatbuilders and equipment manufacturers have a world-wide reputation for quality, good design and innovation.  In the home market, boating tourism continues to play a key role, with good customer service experience supporting significant numbers of domestic and overseas visitors.

Despite the challenging economic climate, I am confident the marine industry can continue to navigate a successful course.”

Breaking down the value of industry revenue reveals that manufacturing makes up the largest overall share of the market, followed by service provision and distribution. This underlines again the positive contribution of leisure marine industries to the UK manufacturing base. Over 17,000 people work directly in boat, engine and equipment manufacturing.

The 2006/7 report shows that Eurozone countries continue to dominate the market for UK exporters. The strong reputation of quality, good design and innovation for UK products continues, with exports now taking up over one-third of the leisure marine sector. The North American market accounted for 12% of exports and the rest of the world 19%.

The sector is dominated by small and medium size enterprises, with over 70% of the companies employing between one and five persons. 70 companies with over 50 employees account for over 40% of the total industry revenue. The British Marine Federation represent over 75% of the total UK marine turnover.