The restaurant firm Areas has been awarded the management of five new premises at the airport of San Diego (California, United States), with which it expects to invoice 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 euros in the start-up of its businesses from the year 2025, according to Areas in a statement. With San Diego, Areas has won seven major competitions in the last six months. With these concessions, the firm expects to invoice more than 2,500 million.
In the case of the United States, these are contests won on the West Virginia highway and Houston airport, in addition to the latter in San Diego. It has also obtained restaurant spaces to be at Guadalajara airport, in Mexico; at the Barajas airport and at the Ifema facilities, in Madrid, and at the Dresden station, in Germany.
This 2023, in addition, the Areas company has acquired the French company Sighor, which specializes in motorways and has an annual income 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", as explained by 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 competition 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 hubs around the world (airports, train stations, service areas), as well as leisure centers and fairgrounds, Areas serves more than 350 million customers every year. Founded in 1968 in Barcelona, Areas has evolved to become a global operator in the sector, with a specialization in knowing the needs of travelers and the widest range of restaurant concepts on the market. It has passed 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. With that operation, it became possible for the restaurant firm to once again establish its global headquarters in Barcelona.
