Aimia and Grupo Aeromexico announce agreement in principle
Aimia to acquire from Grupo Aeromexico an additional 20% equity
participation in Premier Loyalty & Marketing, owner and operator of
Club Premier, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program
MONTREAL and MEXICO CITY, Oct. 29, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ – (TSX: AIM) (BMV:
AEROMEX.MEX)
Aimia Inc. (“Aimia”) and Grupo Aeromexico (“Grupo Aeromexico” or
“Aeromexico”), S.A.B. de C.V. are pleased to report that they have
reached an agreement in principle in connection with the acquisition by
Aimia of an additional 20% equity participation in Premier Loyalty &
Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“PLM”), owner and operator of Club
Premier, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program.
PLM’s fair value has been established at US$518 million and Aimia will
pay US$88 million, which includes a discount agreed to at the time of
Aimia’s initial investment in PLM in September of 2010. The
transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the
execution of definitive agreements and Mexican regulatory approvals,
and is expected to close before the end of 2012.
After closing, Aimia’s and Grupo Aeromexico’s equity participations in
PLM will approximate 49% and 51%, respectively.
Aimia and Grupo Aeromexico will continue their close collaboration and
support of PLM’s management team in the execution of their strategy to
enable PLM to achieve its full potential as Mexico’s leading coalition
loyalty program.
“PLM’s exceptional performance is the result of a strong partnership at
the shareholder level and flawless execution by its very talented
management team,” said Rupert Duchesne, Group Chief Executive of Aimia.
“We are thrilled with PLM’s progress over the last two years. This
provides clear evidence of the strength and portability of the
Aeroplan-derived business model. The success of this partnership
confirms our strategic vision in entering this important market and
choosing the right partner in Grupo Aeromexico, the undisputed leading
Mexican carrier.” added Duchesne.
Andrés Conesa, Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Aeromexico added: “This
transaction reflects Aimia’s confidence, not only in PLM and in Grupo
Aeromexico’s future, but also in the favourable outlook for the Mexican
economy and Mexico’s consumer sector, which will fuel our future
growth. By partnering with clear industry leaders, we have been able to
create and unlock significant value for our shareholders.”
RBC Capital Markets acted as advisor to Aimia in the transaction, while
Citibank advised Grupo Aeromexico.
About Aimia
Aimia Inc. (“Aimia”) is a global leader in loyalty
management. Aimia’s unique capabilities include proven expertise in
delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and managing
coalition loyalty programs, creating value through loyalty analytics
and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile
spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s premier coalition
loyalty program and Nectar, the United Kingdom’s largest coalition
loyalty program. In addition, Aimia has majority equity positions in
Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position
in Club Premier, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program and
Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in merchant-funded
transaction-driven marketing for electronic banking.
Aimia is a Canadian public company listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (TSX: AIM) and has over 3,400 employees in more than 20
countries around the world. For more information about Aimia, please
visit www.aimia.com.
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/aimiainc.
About Premier Loyalty & Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
Premier Loyalty & Marketing, S.A.P.I. de C.V. owns and operates Club
Premier, the first frequent flyer program established in Latin America
and Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program. The company’s objective
is to reward the preference and loyalty of Club Premier’s members
through the accrual and redemption of Premier Kilometers. Members earn
Premier Kilometers for flying with Aeromexico, Aeromexico Connect,
SkyTeam airlines, and other airlines; for using American Express and
Banamex co-branded credit cards; from converting loyalty currency
issued by other premium credit cards into Premier Kilometers or by
purchasing a variety of goods or services from their favourite
retailers and service providers who are participating loyalty partners.
While members primarily redeem their Premier Kilometers for flights on
Aeromexico and other affiliated airlines, they can also exchange them
for a wide variety of catalogue and experiential rewards available
through www.clubpremier.com.
About Grupo Aeromexico
Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries
are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of
passenger loyalty programs. Its fleet includes Boeing 777, 767 and 737
aircraft and the latest Embraer 145, 170 and 190 models. The carrier
announced a major expansion plan in 2011 to acquire 20 new and wholly
owned aircraft including ten Embraer 190 and ten Boeing 737-8 NG
airplanes. Aeromexico will take delivery of nine 787-8 Dreamliners over
the next three years. Moreover, in 2012, Aeromexico announced the most
significant fleet investment program in Mexican aviation history: the
acquisition of 100 new aircraft, including 90 Boeing 737-8MAX and 10
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplanes.
Grupo Aeromexico operates its main hub out of Terminal 2 in the Mexico
City International Airport, and offers over 550 daily flights to
different cities in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central and
South America, Europe and Asia.
Aeromexico is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airline alliance
partnering 18 airlines: Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Europa,
Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern,
CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM Romanian Air
Transport and Vietnam Airlines. SkyTeam offers all partner airline
passengers a large global network with more destinations and
frequencies, and improved connectivity. Passengers can earn and redeem
miles through the different airline partners’ loyalty programs and
enjoy the benefits offered at SkyTeam’s 520 VIP airport lounges around
the world. SkyTeam offers its 537 million annual passengers more than
14.900 daily flights to 993 destinations in 186 countries www.skyteam.com.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and
phrases such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”,
“intend”, “may”, “plan”, “predict”, “project”, “will”, “would”, and
similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Such
statements may involve but are not limited to comments with respect to
Aimia’s and Grupo Aeromexico’s strategies, expectations, planned
operations, future actions, anticipated financial performance and
business prospects. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are
based on assumptions and are subject to important risks and
uncertainties. Any forecasts or forward-looking predictions or
statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing
external events and general uncertainties of the business and its
corporate structure. Results indicated in forward-looking statements
may differ materially from actual results for a number of reasons,
including the other factors identified in this news release and
throughout Aimia’s and Grupo Aeromexico’s public disclosure record on
file with applicable securities regulatory authorities. Material
factors and assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or
making a projection or forecast are also set out throughout this
document. We believe that the expectations represented by our
forward-looking statements are reasonable, yet there can be no
assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The purpose
of the forward-looking statements is to provide the reader with a
description of management’s expectations regarding the matters
described in this news release and may not be appropriate for other
purposes. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the
parties’ expectations as of October 29, 2012, and are subject to change
after such date. However, the parties disclaim any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
required under applicable securities regulations.
SOURCE: AIMIA
Contact:
Aimia
Media
JoAnne Hayes
416-352-3706
joanne.hayes@aimia.com
Analysts & Investors
Trish Moran
416-352-3728
trish.moran@aimia.com
Grupo Aeromexico
Media
Carlos Torres
+52 (55) 9132 4128
ctorres@aeromexico.com.mx
Analysts & Investors
Carlos Doormann
+52 (55) 9132 4257
investor.relations@aeromexico.com.mx