UK. Gate Aviation, a member of gategroup, has acquired The Caterers UK Ltd, an airline provisioning and catering company based at Manchester Airport.
The transaction closed on 27 February. Terms were not disclosed.
The Caterers UK, a family-owned company, has operated at Manchester since 1998. Its principal activity is provisioning and transporting packed meals for airlines, including crew meals and meal boxes. Among its customers are Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, VLM Airlines and easyJet.
Gate Aviation, formerly known as IAS/Fernley, already has a presence at Manchester through the cleaning services it provides there to airlines. Its existing customers at Manchester include Virgin Atlantic and First Choice as well as Air Canada. Gate Aviation became a part of gategroup in September 2007.
gategroup was introduced on 13 February at the International Travel Catering Association (ITCA) conference in Nice, France. It is the umbrella brand representing its core company, Gate Gourmet, and recent acquisitions.
gategroup’s portfolio comprises 11 brands, including Supplair and Pourshins. They cover nearly every aspect of catering, airport handling and inflight support.
On the deal, gategroup President and Chief Financial Officer Guy Dubois commented: “The decision to grow at this important airport clearly demonstrates gategroup’s strategy to deliver value, offer more choices and increase service to our customers through our member companies.”
He added: “Our newly expanded presence in Manchester will harness the capabilities of several gategroup companies to offer customers end-to-end solutions for their inflight hospitality needs. These include cabin cleaning and last-mile provisioning by Gate Aviation; central food production capabilities by Supplair; premium culinary offerings by Gate Gourmet; and fourth-party logistics by Pourshins,” Dubois said.
With more than 100 airlines serving 22 million passengers annually, Manchester is the primary airport in northern England and the third busiest in the UK. It is served by major international and European carriers as well as charter and low-fare airlines.
ABOUT GATE AVIATION
Gate Aviation, formerly known as IAS/Fernley, is a member of gategroup. It provides a comprehensive range of specialty services, including aircraft cleaning, de-icing, exterior washing, catering and logistics, security and passenger services, such as wheelchair assistance and executive lounges.
The company operates in 24 airports, primarily in the UK, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, as well as Amsterdam, Brussels and several airports in France and the Netherlands. Visit www.gate-aviation.com.
ABOUT GATEGROUP
gategroup is the umbrella brand representing global airline catering and logistics provider Gate Gourmet and 10 other brands, including deSter, Supplair, Harmony, Pourshins, eGate Solutions, Gate Aviation, Gate Safe, potmstudios, Performa and Elan.
The group’s portfolio integrates the competencies of partner companies in three major areas – catering and hospitality, airport handling and logistics, and inflight solutions. Visit www.gategroup.com..
NOTE TO AIRPORT AND AIRLINE COMPANIES: The Moodie Report is the only business intelligence service and industry media to cover all airport and airline consumer services, revenue generating and otherwise. Our coverage now includes new Inflight Entertainment (IFE) and inflight catering sections and we embrace all airport non-aeronautical revenues, including property, car parking, hotels, hospital and other medical facilities, the Internet, advertising and related revenue streams. Please send relevant material, including images, to Martin@TheMoodieReport.com for instant, quality global coverage.
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