Migros sells Hotelplan tour operator to Germany’s Dertour

In 2024 Migros announced a radical reorganisation of the group and took the decision to sell struggling specialist stores, the tour operator Hotelplan Group and the industrial company Mibelle. Migros said it wanted to concentrate on its core business. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss retailer Migros is selling most of the Hotelplan Group to the German tour operator Dertour. Meanwhile, the Hotelplan subsidiary Interhome has been sold to the Berlin-based holiday apartment specialist Hometogo.

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This was announced on Wednesday by Migros, Dertour and Hometogo in separate press statements. There had been speculation that the tour group would be sold to the two German competitors.

Hotelplan will be owned by one of the two biggest competitors on the Swiss market, which was dominated by Hotelplan, Dertour Suisse and Tui. Following the takeover, Dertour will be able to further extend its lead over Tui. Migros and Dertour refused to comment on the purchase price.

Meanwhile, Interhome will be taken over by Hometogo. According to Hometogo, the purchase price is CHF150 million in cash. In addition, payments of up to CHF85 million could be made in instalments by 2029.

All 2,500 employees of the Hotelplan Group will join the German company, Migros said. The offers and bookings of customers and sales partners will also remain unchanged.

Further development planned

“As established tourism companies, the new owners are ideally placed to successfully develop the specialised areas of Hotelplan Group – travel and holiday homes,” the Swiss retailer said.

Dertour intends to continue to manage the distinct brands of the Hotelplan Group. As part of the international Dertour Group, it will also gain access to a large partner network.

Hometogo is also planning to continue Interhome as an independent company, “including the local service offices”, according to the statement. This should significantly increase Hometogo’s sales and profitability.

Turnover of CHF1.78 billion

The Glattbrugg-based Hotelplan Group operates in 20 countries. It generated sales of CHF1.78 billion in 2024. Interhome is considered the centrepiece of the Hotelplan Group and generated turnover of CHF389.6 million in the last financial year.

Other business units include the tour operators Hotelplan Suisse and Hotelplan UK as well as the business travel providers Bta First Travel and Finass Reisen.

Dertour, the travel division of Rewe, comprises more than 130 companies. The Cologne-based group is already represented in Switzerland by the Kuoni and Helvetic Tours brands and employs over 10,000 people.

Hometogo is headquartered in Berlin and operates localised websites and apps in 30 countries. The company has over 800 employees and is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is conducting a capital increase for the takeover.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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