NORTH AMERICA. US travel hospitality company Tailwind Hospitality has announced the acquisition of Oakwells, a Winter Park, Florida-based regional airport and rail concessionaire. Tailwind has also acquired four food & beverage concessions from Kind Hospitality at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
Oakwells, founded in 2004, operates retail and grab & go concessions, as well as full-service bars and restaurants, at 12 airports and one train station in the USA.
“We welcome Oakwells, along with its impressive team and operations, to the Tailwind family,” said Tailwind CEO Jeff Switzer. “We are excited to partner with Mike Reilly, Founder and CEO of Oakwells, who will also join the Tailwind team post-close along with his over 100 employees, to ensure a successful combination of the businesses and continue to provide best-in-class service and responsiveness to our airport partners.”
Mike Reilly said: “We have long competed with Tailwind in the airport market, and it was great working with the Tailwind team to get this transaction done. We are confident that our employees and airport partners will mesh with Tailwind’s strong customer-first culture to ensure the continued growth of the combined business.”
As noted above, Tailwind also closed its acquisition of a majority stake in four food & beverage concessions at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport previously owned by Kind Hospitality and its Founder Nava Thursaisingam. The acquisition includes concepts developed with local breweries and restaurants.
Switzer stated: “We view this more as a partnership, not an acquisition, with Nava and his impressive team and look forward to partnering together on other airport opportunities in the future.”
For Tailwind, headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, the move solidifies its status as a leading F&B player in small and mid-size airports in North America.
In November 2021, Palladin Consumer Retail Partners partnered with Tailwind and its management team to recapitalise the company and acquire a smaller competitor, Air Host, creating a leading airport concession platform.
Tailwind has since more than doubled its footprint while building out its offering of nationally known brands and local concepts. It now operates over 160 concessions in nearly 60 airports across continental US and Alaska.
*Note: At the Airport Food & Beverage & Hospitality Conference in Ontario, California in June, Palladin Consumer Retail Partners CEO Mark Schwartz gave an insightful investor viewpoint on the attractiveness and potential of the airport food & beverage sector. Click here for more on that session and on the wider event, organised by The Moodie Davitt Report. 
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