Fusiones y Adquisiciones

🏦 Ávoris, led by Juan Carlos González and Vicente Fenollar, targets international expansion in 2025, planning to establish operations in France and Morocco within the first quarter. The company imitates its strategy in Italy, where it operates with brands Travelplan and Welcomebeds. After four years of losses, Ávoris' wholesale division, under Javier Castillo, ended 2024 profitably and eyes further expansion into Latin America. Travelplan launched in Italy in January, with plans to extend from initial cities to others like Florence, Turin, and Naples. Previously, Travelplan ceased Italian operations in October 2012 due to losses.

🏨 BQ Hoteles acquired the 4-star Bahía Cala Ratjada hotel from R2 Hotels, owned by Schauinsland Reisen, which had held it since 2016. Located in northeast Mallorca, the adults-only hotel features 119 rooms, an outdoor pool with a bar and sun terrace, an indoor pool, sauna, gym, and restaurant. The addition brings BQ Hotels' portfolio to 14 establishments with 2,300 rooms, positioned 55th in the Ranking Hosteltur of large hotel chains in Spain.

🛫 Jet2, amid rising operational costs, predicts 2025 profits near market expectations at £560-570 million, against analysts' £580 million forecast. Despite this, its stock value dropped 11%. The aviation boom may be waning as travel bookings get delayed, even as tour operators increase available seats by 9-14%. Jet2's decline impacted other airlines: Easyjet lost 4.4%, IAG (including Iberia) 2.1%, Wizz Air 4.2%, and Ryanair also 2.1%. Analysts foresee a potential shift in airline stocks due to delivery delays and Jet2's switch from Boeing to Airbus.

💰 Avoris renewed its early 2024 agreement with CVC to expand in Brazil and Argentina, where they now jointly distribute circuits with Special Tours, commercialize Welcomebeds' hotel products, and offer services in the Caribbean via Welcome Incoming Services, including a new development deal for Costa Rica. Avoris and CVC's combined sales capacity exceeds €8 billion annually, boosting negotiation power, reach, and innovation in the travel sector. Over 100 hotel contracts were rapidly optimized under this global agreement, enhancing operational efficiency.

🏖 Alpitour, an Italian group, has been involved in uncertain dealings with the French tour operator brand Fram. The key facts include Alpitour's struggle with the French vacation club market, where it operated on a four-month high season basis, unlike France's traditional six-month period. This led Alpitour's director, Patrice Caradec, to negotiate with Fram, which has resulted in maintaining the entire workforce in the Paris offices. The merger creates synergies between Alpitour's and Fram's tourism brands and expands commercial channels, with Karavel/Fram's turnover amounting to 800 million euros in the tour operating sector.

📌 Dertour, one of Germany's principal travel groups owned by Rewe, operates 130 transport and tourism companies across 16 European countries, including Spain. It recently acquired Hotelplan, a mainly British firm previously owned by Migros. Hotelplan's portfolio includes Hotelplan Suisse, Hotelplan Volume Tour Operation, Hotelplan UK, and Hotelplan Business Travel, with brands like Inghams and Explore Worldwide. The sale price remains undisclosed. This expansion aligns with Dertour's strategy of consolidating businesses incrementally.

💸 Air Europa, aiming to close its sale in Q1 under Javier Hidalgo's goals, seeks a €235 million investment for a 20% stake, guided by PJT Partners, to pay off SEPI debt. HBX Group's IPO on February 13 involved financial advisors like Evercore and global coordinators Bank of America, Citi, and Morgan Stanley. Legal advice was provided by Freshfields, Uría Menéndez, Davis Polk, with PwC auditing. Advisor fees are estimated at €50 million, with HBX CEO Huss potentially receiving a €56.2 million bonus, and other executives sharing up to €75.8 million.

🏖️ Dertour, part of REWE group, to acquire Hotelplan Group excluding Interhome, which joins HomeToGo Group. The deal strengthens Dertour's presence in Switzerland, the UK, and Germany and awaits competition authority approval. Dertour operates in 16 countries with over 130 companies and 10,000 employees. The acquisition aims at operational and technological synergies and guarantees the continuity of Hotelplan's brands, employees, and sales channels. Existing bookings will be honored, and customer service remains unchanged.

💰 Dit Gestión, consisting of approximately 800 associated agencies, has been approved for sale to Ávoris by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC). The group's management ensures the agencies' independence remains "guaranteed," maintaining its philosophy and work method. The leadership remains unchanged, with Lander Arriaga as general director and Jon Arriaga as president, and the headquarters will stay in Oiartzun, Guipúzcoa. The acquisition promises enhanced commercial strategy, service improvements, and profitability for agencies through exclusive content and advanced technology. Additionally, Dit Gestión will continue creating new products and hosting events.

💰 The Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) approved Ávoris' acquisition of Dit Gestión, allowing the tourism conglomerate to exceed 3,000 sales outlets in Spain. CNMC received the transaction documents in November, with a ruling expected by the end of 2024, delayed due to Unida's non-payment of a fine from a 20216 cartel case. Prior to the acquisition, Ávoris had approximately 2,300 outlets, including brands Halcón Viajes, B travel, Viajes Ecuador, Geomoon, and a previously acquired group, Gea, with 500 offices.