Compagnie Des Alpes in Talks to Sells Seven Theme Parks

The French operator Group Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) announced in mid-December their plans to sell seven of their leisure parks within Europe to the investment group H.I.G. Capital France and Laurent Bruloy. CDA intends to sell its controlling stake in these parks because they no longer fit into the group’s strategic objectives. The sale concerns the following parks: Aquaparc du Bouveret (Switzerland), Aquarium in Saint Malo (France), Parc Bagatelle (France), Mini Chateaux and Aquarium Val de Loire (France), Avonturenpark Hellendoorn (Netherlands) and Pleasure Wood Hills (UK). In the fiscal year of 2009/10, these parks welcomed a total of 1.55 million visitors. The negotiations between the parties are planned to be finished by the end of January 2011. The results for the fiscal year of 2009/10 reveal a benefit of 42 million Euros with an increase of 4.7 percent in comparison to the year before. (eap)