August 17, 2018
Willkie represented French airport shop operator Lagardère Travel Retail in in its acquisition of Hojeij Branded Foods, creating the third largest player in the North American travel retail and foodservice industry.
On August 15th, Willkie client Lagardère Travel Retail announced the signing of its $330 million deal to acquire Hojeij Branded Foods (HBF). HBF is one of the leading airport foodservice operators in North America. Headquartered in Atlanta, it operates more than 124 bars and restaurants in 38 airports across the US and Canada, including Vino Volo, the largest airport wine bar chain in the United States and Canada.
The combination of the activities of Lagardère Travel Retail and HBF is expected to create a $1.1 billion player in the North American travel retail and foodservice industry, the third overall largest operator in airport concessions as well as in the foodservice segment. Willkie represented Lagardère Travel Retail in its acquisition of Paradies, an airport travel retail leader in North America, in 2015.
The Willkie team was led by partners Thomas Cerabino and Adam Turteltaub, and included counsel Jacob Kleinman and associate Daniel Alster.
