The Tabacchi family has acquired 49.9% of the Perini Navi Group shipyard, which produces yachts under the Perini Navi and Picchiotti brands.
The Tabacchi family purchased 49.9% of the Perini Navi Group with a capital injection of €27 million through its holding company Fenix. Tabacchi previously owned Italian eyewear maker Salmoiraghi & Viganò, which they sold to Luxottica's Leonardo Del Vecchio in November 2016.
Perini Navi Group founder Fabio Per ini will retain a 50.1% stake in the company and move into the role of honorary chairman. The CEO of Perini Navi will be Lamberto Tacoli, formerly of CRN Shipyard.
Perini Navi has a good reputation in the market of sailing yachts. Her most famous project is the 88 M Maltese Falcon. Over the last seven years Perini Navi has produced no more than two sailing yachts a year. Her most significant recent launch is the 70m Sybaris, delivered to an owner in 2016.
Perini Navi's subsidiary Picchiotti specialises in the construction of motor superyachts. The 73-metre Grace E, 55-metre Galileo G and 50-metre Exuma were launched under the Picchiotti brand.
Perini Navi also provides charter marketing services for its fleet and runs its brokerage business through the Perini Navi USA head office. Perini Navi operates service and repair centres at its production sites in La Spezia and Viareggio.
The news of the €27 mio investment in Perini Navi can be seen as another sign that the Italian yacht business is recovering after the crisis. Another Italian shipyard, the Ferretti Group, announced earlier that it had reached profitability for the first time since 2008.
