Autogrill merges with the Swiss, historic agreement: what changes

After the rumors in the last few days, before the start of the European stock exchanges, the official announcement of the strategic integration agreement between Autogrill and the Swiss Dufrywhich will form a global group in restaurant and retail services for those traveling by car.

The note released by Edizione, the holding company of the Benetton family, underlines that upon completion of the operation, a global player with over 12 billion euros in revenues and an Ebitda of around 1 will be created through the merger of two of the main operators in their respective sectors. , 3 billion, with the aim of developing a new product and service offering and improveby innovating the customer experience of travelers.

It is possible (but these are only indiscretions) that the union between the two realities leads to the birth of a new brand, with the service areas that will change their name.

Alessandro Benetton will join the board of directors of the new group as honorary chairman with the task of promoting and coordinating institutional relations with the main shareholders of the new group. “This agreement allows for the continuation of Autogrill’s growth and development path, an asset which for Edizione will remain of a strategic nature. The merger between Autogrill and Dufry will allow the creation of the world champion in the sector, with a leadership position in various geographies and on various services, also favored by important synergies within the new Group. In this new reality, Autogrill will be the protagonist, bringing its values ​​and corporate culture as a dowry, in particular on the issues of sustainable development and innovation. In Dufry and in the current top management of the company we immediately recognized a common vision and values, combined with a managerial culture and high level skills recognized by the whole sector”Commented Alessandro Benetton.

The birth of the first Autogrill

The first Autogrill was born immediately after the war: it was invented by a young industrialist from Novara, the son of a bakery. His was a great intuition: at that time over half of Italians still live in rural areas and there were perhaps one for every hundred inhabitants of cars. It was in those days that Mario Pavesi, the creator of the ‘Pavesini’ biscuits, opened a small biscuit shop on the Milan – Turin road, near the Novara toll booth. The forerunner of modern Autogrill was a bar with tables and armchairs and a pergola outside. A showcase for the biscuits produced in the nearby family factory. But, within a few years, that invention turned into a millionaire business, thanks also to the country’s economic growth.

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