Following the announcement made on Monday, January 9, by the French Competition Authority of the opening of an in-depth examination phase in the context of the proposed sale of by Aéroports de Paris ("Groupe ADP") of a 50% stake in Extime Food & Beverage Paris to Select Service Partner ("SSP"), Groupe ADP specifies that the joint venture model is commonly used by many airports around the world, and that the Groupe ADP itself has been using it for more than a decade.
By relying on the expertise of an industrial partner, this model has contributed to the development of the Group's various retail and food & beverage activities. In this context, Groupe ADP had launched a call for tenders in April 2021 to seek a co-shareholder in Extime Food & Beverage Paris. Select Service Partner (SSP) was chosen at the end of this procedure with the aim of acquiring, subject to the authorization of the competition authority, 50% of the capital of Extime Food & Beverage Paris along Aéroports de Paris (see press release of October 25, 2021).
During this process, the food and beverage activities in Paris will continue to be operated not only through Extime Food & Beverage Paris, operating c.30 sales points in Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly Airports, but also by other operators, including EPIGO joint-venture implemented in 2016.
In the meantime, Groupe ADP and its partner SPP will continue to discuss with the Authority concerning the elements demonstrating the expected effects of the transaction for passengers and the benefits that will result in terms of pricing management and quality of service. As reminded by the French Competition Authority in its press release, the opening of this procedure does not presume the existence of possible competition problems, nor the outcome of this procedure.
In any event, should this project not be implemented in the form envisaged here, Groupe ADP will retain full control of its commercial system in order to adapt it to passenger demand and contribute to the achievement of its profitable growth objectives.
