The restaurant firm Areas has been awarded the management of five new premises at the San Diego airport (California, United States), with which it expects to bill 550 million dollars (about 490 million euros) over the next 15 years. The cost of the concession for Areas, based in Barcelona and owned by Pai Partners, has not been provided by the company.
The company plans to invest 18 million in the start-up of its businesses from the year 2025, according to a statement. With the one in San Diego, Areas has won seven major contests in the last half year. With these concessions, the firm plans to bill more than 2,500 million.
In the case of the United States, these are contests won on the West Virginia Highway and at the Houston airport, as well as the latter in San Diego. It has also obtained restaurant spaces to operate at the Guadalajara airport, in Mexico; at the Barajas airport and at the Ifema facilities in Madrid; and at the German station Dresden, in Germany.
In this 2023, in addition, the company Areas acquired the French Sighor, specialized in highways and with annual revenues of 65 million.
Its international business already represents 80% of the total and the United States is positioned as a “key market for the company’s growth in the coming years”, according to the CEO, Oscar Vela. With a presence in 10 countries, the multinational manages more than 2,000 restaurants and stores in Europe and America. In a statement, Vela assured that “the last contest won in San Diego demonstrates the success of our commitment to international business.”
With a team of 20,000 people and a presence in the main communication centers around the world (airports, train stations, service areas), as well as leisure centers and fairgrounds, Areas provides service to more than 350 million customers each anus. Founded in 1968 in Barcelona, Areas has evolved to become a global operator in the sector, specializing in knowing the needs of travelers and the widest range of catering concepts on the market. It has gone through several shareholders until in 2019 the venture capital fund PAI Partners closed the purchase of Areas from the French group Elior for 1,542 million euros. This operation made it possible for the restaurant firm to once again establish its world headquarters in Barcelona.