Travel Retail: Lagardère aims to double revenue in Germany
Lagardère Travel Retail wants to double German revenue to 500 million euros by 2030. The company is expanding at airports, stations, and zoos despite weaker travel spending.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Lagardère Travel Retail is pushing hard in Germany, targeting 500 million euros in revenue by 2030 through organic growth and acquisitions. The company is betting on airports, Deutsche Bahn stations, and zoo catering even as passenger spending and business travel remain below pre-pandemic levels.
Lagardère runs shops and food places where people travel. It wants to grow a lot in Germany, like a store chain trying to get bigger in busy train stations and airports, even though travelers are still spending less than before.
Analysis
Growth target
Lagardère Travel Retail’s Germany chief, Jochen Halfmann, says the company wants to reach half a billion euros in revenue by 2030 through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. That would roughly double the company’s sales compared with the last fiscal year. For the current year, Lagardère expects revenue of 280 million euros after opening 26 new restaurants and shops in the past four weeks alone.
Where the company is expanding
A key step in the strategy was the 2023 acquisition of the restaurant chain Marché. Lagardère says it has become market leader in German zoos through that deal and now serves visitors in eight zoos. In Karlsruhe, it took over catering operations last year, and more openings are planned. The company is also leaning into Deutsche Bahn stations as a growth market. Halfmann said Lagardère wants to lift revenue at the top 10 stations by around 30 percent by 2030.
Why the market is still difficult
The expansion comes despite a tougher backdrop for travel retail. Passenger traffic at German airports reached 220 million last year, which was still 12 percent below 2019. The company says the business-travel segment, once its most important customer group, has fallen by 50 to 60 percent since 2019. Halfmann also says Germans are spending less, with spending per passenger down 3 to 4 percent on average.
Airports remain central
Airports still matter most for Lagardère’s model, even though the company is trying to diversify beyond them. It won new concessions for 11 stores at Düsseldorf airport and 10 food outlets at Frankfurt’s new Terminal 3. Lagardère plans to invest 16 million euros in Germany this year. Halfmann says airport operators now expect more than basic snacks and drinks; they want stronger food and shopping experiences that keep travelers on site longer.
Key points
- Lagardère Travel Retail wants to double German revenue to 500 million euros by 2030.
- The company expects 280 million euros in revenue this year after a strong pace of new openings.
- The 2023 acquisition of Marché helped expand Lagardère into zoos and food service.
- German airport passenger traffic is still 12% below 2019, and business travel remains far weaker.
- Lagardère is also targeting growth at Deutsche Bahn stations and is investing 16 million euros in Germany this year.
If Lagardère keeps winning airport and station contracts, its German business could grow steadily toward the 2030 target. More travel by rail and better food-and-shopping concepts could help offset weaker airport spending.
The plan depends heavily on travel flows and passenger spending, both of which are still below earlier levels. If business travel stays weak or geopolitical shocks hit air traffic again, revenue growth could slow before the company reaches its target.
