Gate Gourmet France S.A.S. and LSG Sky Chefs France S.A. receive EC approval to combine catering activities in Paris

 

Paris - Gate Gourmet France and LSG Sky Chefs France have been informed by the European Commission that it has approved the companies' proposed catering joint venture in Paris.

"We appreciate and welcome the EC's approval, which clears the way to close the transaction and to begin implementing the joint venture," the companies said in a statement. No implementation timetable was announced.

The two catering firms announced their intention to form the 50/50 venture in April as a means of returning to profitability and developing new business to ensure their long-term viability in Paris.

The venture will act as a stand-alone company and will have its own sales and marketing function.

Gate Gourmet in brief:

• Gate Gourmet France was founded in 1999. It employs 295 people on its Roissy CDG site and produced a little more than 3 million meals in 2005.
• Founded in 1992, Gate Gourmet is a market leader in the airline catering business. With approximately 22'000 employees globally, Gate Gourmet serves its customers in 109 kitchens, in 29 countries, on five continents, and provides meals to more than 300 million passengers annually.

LSG Sky Chefs in brief:

• The LSG Sky Chefs France unit started operation in 1974. In 2005, some 600 employees produced 4.2 million meals per year in the LSG Sky Chefs premises, located at Roissy CDG.
• LSG Sky Chefs is the world's largest provider of airline catering and in-flight solutions. LSG Sky Chefs caters 270 airlines from almost 190 customer service centers in 49 countries and produces around 369 million airline meals a year. In 2005, the companies belonging to LSG Sky Chefs Group achieved consolidated revenues of 2.2 billion EUR.