Nuance to buy Maltese retailer

Lorna Strickland

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A source close to Nuance has confirmed it is to buy Air Supplies & Catering from Air Malta

The Nuance Group is to acquire Maltese airport retailer and inflight concessionaire Air Supplies & Catering from Air Malta, as revealed in DFNI September 15, out today. A source close to Air Malta said that a partnership between The Nuance Group and two local companies has bought the company. A Nuance source confirmed the news to RavenFox.com and said that the deal should be completed at the beginning of October, after the completion of due diligence.

In January Air Malta invited bids for 60% of Air Supplies before relaunching the bidding process in July, this time for 100% of the company.

Air Supplies & Catering operates 407sq m (4,380sq ft) of duty-free retail space at Malta International airport, accounting for about 40% of the airport's total commercial space. Its contract is due to expire in 2014.

Following the accession of Malta to the EU last year, Air Malta suspended its inflight retail programme amid a sharp fall in profitability. Its decision to sell Air Supplies & Catering alerted a number of international companies, including Gebr Heinemann and Nuance (DFNI July 15).