For a few days, the information has been circulating and it is this Monday morning February 14 that the Duval Group, already owner of Ugolf, has just confirmed the acquisition of the company Bluegreen to thus become the 6th operator in the world in golf.
The two networks, which are geographically complementary, have 93 golf courses in France and generate around 115 million euros in turnover. The ensemble employs 1,500 people and announces more than 60,000 licensees.
Golf Planet met Pierre-André Uhlenthe general manager of Ugolf, who answered our questions.
Pauline Duval: Opening up golf to a wide audience in France and abroad
As for Pauline Duvalgeneral manager of the group which therefore bought Bluegreen, she let us know her feelings at the time of this important operation which marks the history of golf in France:
“We are happy to integrate the BlueGreen teams into our family group. We will offer them the means to pursue their development, while remaining faithful to the human values that we share and to the entrepreneurial spirit that drives us.
Our ambition ? Continue to open golf to a wide audience in France and internationally. »
Golf New Caledonia
Pierre-André Uhlen: the business plan does not stop at this merger
The Duval Group, already owner of Ugolf, announces, this Monday, February 14, the acquisition of Bluegreen, the subsidiary of the Saur group which would also be for sale. Your two turnovers are almost equivalent, around 56 million euros. What pushed the Duval Group towards this unexpected merger, even if some already place it in the direction of History?
In 2007, the Duval Group bought the company Nouveaux Golfs de France (now UGOLF) which then had a dozen golf courses in operation. Since then, UGOLF has continued to develop to manage today 59 golf courses in France and abroad. When the Blue Green sale process was initiated by SAUR in mid-2021, it was logical to position itself. This merger is, as you say, the meaning of history: it allows us to consolidate the market with two major objectives: to develop the market through the arrival of new players and to retain them through more services.
Did the post-pandemic improvement for golf observed in the USA, Great Britain or Europe play a role in your decision?
UGOLF is a company that has continued to grow, including during the years when the market remained stagnant. The academy, the strength of the network, the quality of service are examples of levers on which we work a lot with the teams. The Ryder Cup in France in 2018 has accelerated the interest in golf in our country and the pandemic has been an additional accelerator even if, let us remember, the golf courses remained closed for 3 months in 2020. We believe in the development of golf because this sport conveys values that we share such as high standards, caring for others and the course, performance for those who are more attracted to competition. Finally, golf is the sport of a lifetime with a retention rate of over 80% each year.
Rochefort Castle golf course
If your geographical complementarity is a key point of this operation, what about your differences in cultures and management methods? More centralized for one, more active in the field for the other… How to reconcile the two stories, the two realities: are you going to bring them together in a single structure?
We will reflect on brand strategy later. At first, we will make the 2 entities live together, get to know each other, then find a functioning that gets the best of both.
Implantation Ugolf
Implantation Bluegreen
What will be the consequence tomorrow for the staff of the two companies? and for the golfers who are members of your networks?
Golf at Château de Cély
We want to strengthen the training of teams and share all together so that the business project does not stop at this rapprochement. We want to continue our development, especially internationally. These development projects are all opportunities for employees who wish to evolve and also the opportunity to offer our players an ever wider golfing experience in our network.
Finally, it was the Duval Group, and not Ugolf, which acquired Bluegreen: how should this strategic choice be interpreted?
It is a business choice that aims to successfully integrate Blue Green. Again, we have to get to know how it works and define the best strategy for tomorrow.
Golf du Domaine de Bethemont
Moorea Golf
