2024 Mercury Australian Dealer of the Year

by Mercury Marine 10 Jun 09:33 BST

(L-R) Mercury Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands General Manager Brad Zoelle, Alan Riley from Channel Marine, Mercury's Regional Sales Manager – Vic & Tas Andrew Small and Mercury's Director of Sales David Meehan © Mercury Marine

Tasmanian dealer Channel Marine has continued to set the standard for excellence and dedication in the industry, taking home Mercury Marine's most prestigious award, The Australian National Dealer of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Channel Marine once again etched its name in the history books, becoming the first Tasmanian dealer to win the Australian National Dealer of the Year last year and now the first from the Apple Isle to go back-to-back.

Located South of Hobart, Channel Marine has developed into a business renowned for its experience with all models of Mercury outboards and MerCruiser engines.

Mercury Marine's Director of Sales, David Meehan, said Channel Marine's ongoing growth and commitment to advancing the Mercury brand, makes them a deserving recipient of the award.

"Winning this award once is a great achievement, but to win it again and in consecutive years is a real testament to Channel Marine's drive to keep improving," David said.

"The passion that they show in supporting all Mercury products and the job they do marketing the brand heavily across the region has resulted in solid growth across all product categories.

"Channel Marine has built a reputation for excellence in the commercial fishing industry, having almost single-handedly transitioned the Australian fish farms in Tasmania to Mercury engines. Now, it's exciting to see them making real strides in the retail space as well."

Channel Marine and its owner, Alan Riley, have long set the gold standard in the industry, earning an impressive collection of accolades. They've been named Tasmanian Mercury Dealer of the Year five times, in 1994, 1995, 1998, 2005, and 2007, along with also claiming the VIC/TAS Mercury Dealer of the Year title in 2009, 2023, and 2024.

The Australian National Dealer of the Year podium was rounded out by three-time winner Brisbane Marine (QLD) and Mandurah Outboards (WA) tied for second place.

(L-R) Mercury Australia, NZ and Pacific Islands General Manager Brad Zoelle, Steve Whitford from Marine Works, Mercury's New Zealand Regional Manager Richard Shaw and Mercury's Director of Sales David Meehan - photo © Mercury Marine

It was a stellar year for Queensland dealer Bay City Marine, which was crowned the 2024 Regional Dealer of the Year award, along with winning the 2024 National Mercury Finance Dealer of the Year. The Hervey Bay based dealer saw serious growth across all elements of the business and did some of their best works at the local boat shows, recording good sales.

The New Zealand Dealer of the Year Award for 2024 was won by Marine Works from Auckland, which displayed lots of resilience, battling through a tough year for the Kiwi market.

Mercury's annual awards are based on a range of objective criteria including year-on-year growth across all product categories (Outboard, MerCruiser, Parts & Accessories), market share growth, business diversity and service status.

The awards also involve regional and product categories ranging from MerCruiser OEM and dealer of the year, Mercury inflatable dealer of the year and Parts and Accessories dealer of the year - These customers were the best of the best in their product category. The full list of winners for 2024 is:

National: