A clean and uniformed approach for Palma’s yachting Industry!
This month I met with Rita Navarro, owner of Ashore Marine S.L. and the newly acquired Laundry Room in Palma. I was greeted by this energy ball of positivity, enthusiasm and warmth and it was easy to understand how this fiery Brazilian lady has gone from strength to strength with her bubbly personality and passion for everything she does. I was interested to find out more about Rita and her story so far.
After arriving in Mallorca 20 years ago, Rita worked as a chef/stewardess for 7 years before deciding to open a gourmet food shop on the Paseo Maritimo in 2011. This became the beginning of her yacht provisioning business but although seemingly perfectly located, it became apparent that with the Paseo being approx. 5km long and a main road, passing trade for the shop was not as good as it could be. Nevertheless, Rita built on the business and started providing shore support services working with several different companies in STP. After that, she opened Ashore Marine in a shop on Avinguda de l’Argentina supplying uniforms and has been doing so for the last 4 years.
During these years Rita built a large network of contacts and an excellent reputation amongst customers and other business owners alike but even though the yacht provisioning and the uniforms side of things were both doing really well, they were still leaving a 3-month gap in the year where things were quiet and so it was an opportunity not to be missed that presented itself to Rita by way The Laundry Room, and for someone as driven as her, it was the perfect finishing touch to her current business portfolio. The purchase of The Laundry Room meant she could move everything under the one roof right next to Santa Catalina market with the uniforms in the front of the shop and the rest of the space for the laundry machines and a small office. This new location was perfect as it is the thriving hub of the yachting community in a more compact and popular area. I asked Rita how she managed to combine resources to manage these three key ventures:
RITA: “The wintertime is when the laundry and uniforms are the bulk of the business as the yachts and crew are preparing for the next season. During the summertime, the busiest part of the business is the provisioning, sourcing, berths and fuelling that we cover for Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca. I like to call us a shore support company and not an agent as we don’t charge an agency fee. Most of our customers are via recommendation but we also get business from the internet, magazines, etc.”
I asked Rita how she has seen the yachting industry change on the island over the past 20 years:
RITA: “When I first arrived on the island and started working in the industry there were only about 50 crew members and everyone knew each other, but now there are thousands of crew and yachts every year so it has changed a lot. Whereas you used to remember everyone’s name, it is impossible to remember them all now, but I always remember faces. Also, when I worked as a chef/stewardess I was with the same owner for 7 years but now people seem to jump ship all the time with 2 months here and 2 months there, it’s very different.”
So her latest challenge arose when a good friend of hers decided to sell the laundry and Rita saw it as a great opportunity as it complements the uniform business so well.
RITA: We decided to keep the name, The Laundry Room, as it has been here for 20 years and everyone knows it. We also kept the same staff as they know how the business works and are great at their jobs, so I am the ‘new girl’ now and learning something new every day, which is great!”.
Now summer is coming Rita’s main focus will be on provisioning and berthing although the laundry and uniforms will still be a key component of the business. High-quality provisioning is Ashore’s speciality, delivering only the very best quality food and drink. Rita also has the added benefit of her husband being a former fishmonger at Mercat Olivar for 30 years so he has the contacts and knowledge to ensure the freshest fish and seafood is provided to customers, along with top quality meat from long-established contacts, all vacuum packed and labelled ready to be delivered to boats. With a good solid team around her to cope with the incredible volume of work through the summer months, Rita still likes to do most of the berthing, provisioning and concierge herself. Everybody knows her and having good relationships with a valuable network of contacts is key in this industry.
So it seems that this wonderfully dynamic and charismatic lady has managed to create the perfect year-round business model in a traditionally seasonal environment doing what she loves most.
RITA: “ That’s it now, I don’t want to do anything else…..”
I suspect that with Rita’s energy, passion and entrepreneurial spirit we may be wiser to watch this space! But one thing is for sure, once you meet Rita, you won’t forget this vivacious, fun, charismatic and successful businesswoman!
Plaza de Navegacio, 9 Bajos
07013 Palma
Tel: +34 971 903925
Mov: +34 637 138405
Web: www.ashoremarine.com
Web: www.thelaundryroommallorca.com
Written by Lisa Thompson
