Contract closing - Galeria sells its travel agencies to ADAC
The Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof department store group has sold its travel agency division to ADAC. A corresponding contract has been signed, the transaction will take effect in October, Galeria in Essen and ADAC in Frankfurt announced. This involves 70 Galeria travel agencies, increasing ADAC's travel agencies to over 240, according to reports.
Additionally, ADAC is taking over the online presence www.urlaub.de, which fits well with its customer magazine "Urlaub". ADAC is also allowed to continue using the website www.galeria-reisen.de. The purchase price for the entire transaction was not disclosed. The spaces are to remain visible as Galeria travel agencies, supplemented by the ADAC brand.
"We are very happy to expand our market position," said Andreas Hartel, CEO of ADAC Hessen-Thuringia. We are excited that more than 280 experienced, engaged, and highly professional travel consultants from Galeria will join ADAC. "Through them, all Galeria and ADAC travel customers can be better and more personally served in the field."
Galeria CEO Oliver van den Bossche also expressed himself positively: "We can now focus on our core competency of the department store with our strong assortments and at the same time retain the expertise and frequency of Galeria travel agency customers in our stores." The contract signing is "the starting shot for many more strong partnerships from Galeria".
The department store chain Galeria has heavy crisis with insolvency proceedings behind it. As of August 1st, the US investment firm NRDC and a participation company of entrepreneur Bernd Beetz will be the new owners. The number of stores is expected to decrease from previously 92 to 83 as of September.
- The sale of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof's travel agency division to ADAC is significant for the German retail market, particularly in the sector of consumer goods.
- The Handelblatt, a renowned German business newspaper, reported that the acquisition will significantly boost ADAC's network of travel agencies in Germany.
- With this acquisition, ADAC's department store corporation now has a strategic presence in major cities such as Frankfurt, where they can offer travel services to consumers planning journeys.
- The integration of Galeria travel agencies under the ADAC brand will create a unified customer experience, merging the expertise of both entities in the realm of retail and travel services.
- The purchase of Galeria's travel agency division by ADAC has sparked interest among other players in the German retail and travel industries, potentially leading to more collaborations and mergers in the future.
- Employees at Karstadt and GALERIA Kaufhof's travel agencies will likely see changes in their roles as the integration process continues, offering new opportunities for career growth and innovation within ADAC's travel agency network.
