2024-07-17 21:24:26
Until now, Germany’s last large department store group was also active in the travel industry. That is now over. A buyer for the travel agencies has been found.
The department store group Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof has sold its travel agency division to the ADAC. A corresponding contract has been signed and the transaction will take effect in October, Galeria in Essen and the ADAC in Frankfurt announced. The deal involves 70 Galeria travel agencies, and the ADAC is increasing the number of its travel agencies to more than 240.
The ADAC is also taking over the website www.urlaub.de, which fits well with its customer magazine “Urlaub”. The ADAC is also allowed to continue using the website www.galeria-reisen.de. The purchase price for the entire transaction was not disclosed. The rooms will continue to be visible as Galeria travel agencies, supplemented by the ADAC brand.
“We are very happy to be able to further expand our market position,” said Andreas Hartel, Managing Director of ADAC Hessen-Thüringen. We are pleased that more than 280 experienced, committed and extremely professional travel advisors are joining ADAC. “Thanks to them, all Galeria and ADAC travel customers can be looked after even better and more personally across the region.”
Galeria boss Oliver Van den Bossche also expressed his positive opinion: “We can now concentrate on our core competency of department stores with our strong product ranges and at the same time retain the expertise and frequency of customers from Galeria travel agencies in our stores.” The conclusion of the contract is “the starting signal for many more strong partnerships from Galeria.”
The Galeria department store chain has been through a serious crisis and bankruptcy proceedings. As of August 1, the US investment company NRDC and a holding company owned by the entrepreneur Bernd Beetz will become the new owners. By September, the number of branches is to be reduced from 92 to 83.