December 1, 2015 – LSG Sky Chefs has signed an agreement to acquire the remaining shares in Retail inMotion and full ownership of Media inMotion, both located in Dublin, Ireland. The ratification of the deal is pending approval by the antitrust authorities.
Retail inMotion focuses on the onboard retail business, which drives airlines’ ancillary revenues. Its expertise encompasses the procurement and distribution of buy-on-board products, complete management of buy-on-board programs and end-to-end IT support of those programs through proprietary software. Media inMotion’s portfolio includes hardware and software solutions for ‘inflight retailment systems’, which the company says offer much more variety and choice than traditional inflight entertainment systems. These systems also integrate onboard shopping capabilities, thus providing an additional sales channel to passengers, as well as broadening the range of products and services offered for sale onboard.
LSG Sky Chefs and Retail inMotion have been collaborating since early 2013, when LSG Sky Chefs acquired shares in the company. Since then, together the companies have developed and implemented onboard retail programs for a number of customers, including Germanwings, SunExpress and SN Brussels.
Dr Joe Elias, founder and CEO of Retail inMotion will retain his role and continue to manage and develop the business further. Stefan Patermann, who has been leading LSG Sky Chefs’ onboard retail business in Europe over the past few years, has been appointed chief commercial officer of Retail inMotion.
“This deal is an important strategic step in our effort to offer airlines complete onboard retail and inflight entertainment solutions beyond our extensive catering, logistics and equipment capabilities,” said Erdmann Rauer, CEO of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, the parent company of LSG Sky Chefs. “As market and customer requirements are changing at a rapid pace, this move enables us to better respond to and proactively address consumer and customer needs, which call for increased individualization and flexibility.”
“In addition to the skills and expertise in onboard retail management and technology, Retail inMotion and its customers will benefit from the operational strengths and experience that LSG Sky Chefs has earned over the decades,” added Elias.
