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PWC dealers find unit sales largely strong in Q4

Dealer survey shows growth for 2 out of 3 dealers that carry PWC

Personal watercraft dealers reported Q4 year-over-year sales performance of new PWC units as largely growth-oriented. A total of 68 percent of PWC dealers said their growth ranged from “flat to 9 percent” or “10-19 percent.” Another 22 percent called their PWC unit sales performance as “flat to minus-9 percent.”

The data was collected from the Q4 2017 Powersports Business/BMO Capital Markets Dealer Survey. Texas, New York, Wisconsin and Ontario were the states and provinces with the most PWC dealers that responded to the survey. PWC dealers from Tennessee, Nebraska and Mississippi followed closely behind. A total of 64 percent carry Yamaha powersports products and 56 percent of them carry Kawasaki powersports products. A total of 38 percent of them carry Sea-Doo. A total of 82 percent of the dealers responding operated single-store locations, and 44 percent of those respondents generate more than $10 million in revenue. The remainder are an even split between $1-3 million, $3-5 million and $5-10 million in annual revenue.

Source: Powersports Business/BMO Capital Markets Q4 2017 Dealer Survey. Photo courtesy of Yamaha Waterctaft Group

PWC dealers had a mixed sales ending to 2017, with 57 percent of them characterizing their Q4 2017 performance as either “on plan” (49 percent) or “above plan” (8 percent). A total of 44 percent of PWC dealers reported their Q4 business performance as “below plan.”

As far as other segments offered at their store, a total of 97 percent of PWC dealers who took the survey also carry ATVs. A total of 90 percent of them carry side-by-sides, and 88 percent of them offer off-road bikes. A total of 85 percent of PWC dealers carry sport bikes and 77 percent offer heavyweight motorcycles. Half of the responding dealers who carry a PWC brand also offer snowmobiles as part of their lineup. 

Wells Fargo Securities analyst Tim Conder, meanwhile, reported in a January research note provided to Powersports Business that December 2017 PWC U.S. retail sales were down 2.3 percent compared to December 2016, when they were up 15 percent. The data comes via Statistical Surveys, Inc.

The December Info-Link Bellwether Report, based on new unit registrations, shows PWC sales remained at about 5 percent growth on a rolling 12-month, year-over-year basis. 

 

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