Inflight Service buys SAS Trading's eastern business

John Rimmer

Print Article E-Mail Article E-Mail Author

SAS Trading has sold its Euroshop operations in Poland, Latvia and Estonia to the Swedish company

SAS Trading has sold its east European interests to Inflight Service, as parent company SAS Group seeks to concentrate on its core aviation business. Subject to approval from competition authorities, Inflight Service will assume control of SAS' businesses in Poland, Latvia and Estonia this spring, while the remainder of SAS' retail operations in Scandinavia will come under the control of the group's SAS Business Opportunities subsidiary with a view to later divestment.

SAS Trading's business in Poland and the Baltic States posted sales of SKr176m ($25.8m) in 2004. Inflight Service is one of the Scandinavian travel-retail market's best-established companies and specialises in purchasing and supply, with a number of big clients in the airport, airlines and ferry channels. It posted sales of SKr1.3bn ($190.6m) last year.

The acquisition—which covers 12 airport shops in Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, Tallinn and Riga—follows a cooperation agreement signed between the two companies in 2003, which granted Inflight Service responsibility for strategic purchasing and distribution to SAS Trading's airport outlets.

Keep an eye on RavenFox.com for updates and comment.