Palmer Johnson to staff up for UK yacht design operation

US builder of bespoke yachts Palmer Johnson is recruiting interior designers to work at its first UK operation, producing what it hopes will be the largest leisure craft in the region.

The manufacturer is massively expanding its nascent UK base to include construction sites at Woolston and Hythe in Hampshire. The new production facilities will create jobs for in-house interior designers, who will be working on the manufacturer’s 100m super-yachts.

For the past five years, Palmer Johnson has used Italian marine design group Nuvolari-Lenard to create its yacht interiors (pictured). ‘Nuvolari-Lenard is producing much of the interior styling, but we will also be using interior and industrial designers to carry out production detailing,’ explains James Hillard, Palmer Johnson design office manager.

About 20 marine design engineers are based at the manufacturer’s office in Cowes.

Palmer Johnson reports that the UK beat competition from Dubai, France and Turkey to win the location deal, which was brokered by the South East England Development Agency.

According to Seeda, Palmer Johnson chose the UK because of its ‘highly skilled workforce’.