OUR HERITAGE
Since 1949, Northrop & Johnson has offered a new dimension of sophistication and service to the yachting lifestyle. Northrop & Johnson’s reputation of success is built on decades of commitment to clients and commerce within the industry. From yacht sales and purchase to charter to management and marketing of the world’s most discerning luxury vessels, Northrop & Johnson offers a total-service approach. Our impressive record of yacht sales, growing charter fleet and global expansion are a testament to the honesty, integrity and steadfast promise to deliver the best to our clientele.
Shortly after World War II, Jim Northrop and George Johnson formed a partnership to provide a quality yacht brokerage service to their close circle of yachting companions on Long Island Sound. The first Northrop & Johnson office opened in 1949 at 366 Madison Avenue in lower Manhattan and served as the foundation for the fledging brokerage house. Here began Northrop & Johnson’s true-blue “Yankee” heritage, which is reflected in the company’s reputation for honesty, integrity and fair play.
Quickly, the word about the “Gentlemen Brokers” of Northrop & Johnson spread throughout the tight-knit yachting community of New York, thus creating the platform on which the company’s sterling reputation was built. By the early 1960s, Northrop & Johnson had expanded with branch offices in Stamford, Connecticut, Miami, Florida, and Marblehead, Massachusetts. In 1971, Kees Van Vliet opened the first U.S.-affiliated yacht brokerage office in Europe; the office was based in Cannes, France. By the late 1970s, additional offices were added in Newport, Rhode Island, Puerto Buenos, Spain, and St. Petersburg, Florida.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Northrop & Johnson became the premier large yacht brokerage in the United States. Many of the industry’s most recognized names began their careers at Northrop & Johnson. Today, Northrop & Johnson is recognized at every major yachting venue throughout the world. Northrop & Johnson’s strategic alliances and network provide abundant support and representation for the vessels in our fleet in every major yachting center. All Northrop & Johnson brokers have access to market intelligence and a vast database to deliver the most valuable support.
With more than six decades of longevity and 13 offices worldwide, Northrop & Johnson provides services that are customized to meet all of a client’s yachting needs. Northrop & Johnson is a tradition in yachting as the world’s foremost authority on the sale, purchase, charter, management and new construction of luxury superyachts.
OUR ETHOS
There is an array of competitive advantages offered to savvy clients who join the Northrop & Johnson family. Northrop & Johnson offers bespoke, unsurpassed service not found elsewhere in the yachting industry.
Northrop & Johnson’s innovative, sophisticated, user-friendly website is the most technologically advanced in the market. This trail-blazing site is the perfect place to showcase a vessel for sale or charter. Eye-catching imagery combines perfectly with dynamic content and industry-leading digital tools to create a one-of-a-kind interface for users. Along with a powerful website, Northrop & Johnson features an array of digital tools from flyers and direct mail programs to social media outlets for use in our bespoke marketing strategies. Northrop & Johnson has an in-house dedicated marketing and PR team devoted to the promotion of the vessels in our fleet. Our in-house marketing and PR team has years of inside-yachting experience as well as exceptional relationships with yachting and luxury lifestyle editors and writers to assure our fleet’s presence within the pages of prominent magazines and online blogs, websites and more. Northrop & Johnson publishes Navigator, an in-house luxury travel magazine, wherein we feature yachts from our fleet. Navigator has a circulation of 10,000 copies per issue, reaching current and prospective clients worldwide.
Northrop & Johnson is proud to have the most unique and expansive global intelligence tool on the market. The only brokerage house to feature this tool, we have access to the global fleet with the touch of a button. We also have a database of more than 55,000 select contacts worldwide, ensuring a global reach. This database is targeted to current and potential owners and clients as well as other ultra high net worth individuals.
Together with our digital presence, Northrop & Johnson offers an unmatched in-person presence at worldwide events, including the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where, proudly, we are the largest superyacht brokerage exhibitor. In addition, we hold the same title at the Palm Beach boat show and also boast impressive numbers at other annual prominent shows and events worldwide, from San Diego to Hong Kong.
Northrop & Johnson has a true global presence. With 13 offices around the globe, there is nowhere that we cannot reach. We have presence in the Americas and Europe, as well as Asia, covering all corners of the globe. Our talented and dedicated staff in these offices is on hand at all times to ensure complete and above-satisfaction customer service.
Northrop & Johnson’s dedicated yacht management team offers the best yacht-to-manager ratio in the industry. Our managers have only 5.7 yachts to every manager, opposed to 13 – 15 at other prominent management houses. We believe that our clients deserve a full-service bespoke program and our ratio allows our managers to successfully deliver this kind of access at all times, unlike any other program offered in the yachting industry.
Northrop & Johnson is constantly evolving in order to meet the needs of our discerning clients. We are proud to provide the necessary tools and support to ensure the unwavering success and contentment of our clients.
