Αλλαγές στην διοίκηση του KUONI και οι ...

... προσπάθειες για πώληση!!!

- Σε χρόνο ρεκόρ αντικαταστάθηκε ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος του Kuoni Nordic

Ο Mats Dahlquist διευθύνων σύμβουλος του Kuoni Nordic αντικαταστάθηκε με άμεση εφαρμογή μάλιστα, από τον Leif Vase Larsen, ο οποίος είχε αποχωρήσει από την εταιρία το 2013, μετά από 14 χρόνια παραμονής στην θέση αυτή.

Από τη νέα του θέση θα είναι υπέυθυνος για την καθημερινή λειτουργία της εταιρίας και κυρίως θα "τρέξει" τις διαδικασίες για την εξεύρεση αγοραστή για το Kuoni.

Στο μεταξύ οι εργαζόμενοι στο KUONI αντιδρούν στην προοπτική πώλησης του ομίλου.

Η ιδιοκτησία έχει εξαγγείλει την στροφή της εταιρίας στις υπόλοιπες δραστηριότητας αποχωρώντας από το tour operating, και κυρίως στην παροχή θεωρήσεων visa.

Παράλληλα, εντείνονται οι συζητήσεις για το ποιός θα είναι ο αγοραστής, και αν υπάρχουν ενδιαφερόμενοι, αφού φήμες κάνουν λόγο για προϋπάρχουσα συμφωνία εξαγοράς του Kuoni.

Δημοσιεύματα κάνουν λόγο για ενδιαφέρον του ομίλου της TUI, πλην όμως για οποιαδήποτε εξέλιξη, κυρίως στη μεγάλη σκανδιναβική αγορά, θα πρέπει να υπάρξει "πράσινο φως" από τις αρμόδιες αρχές ανταγωνισμού.

Δύο ενδιαφέροντα ρεπορτάζ ακολουθούν:
"... This means that Leif Vase Larsen returns to Kuoni where he worked from 1999 to 2013, when he left the company for personal reasons. In the years 2006-2013 Leif held the role as CEO of Apollo in the Nordic countries. In his new role, he is responsible for the daily operation in the Nordic region and also to find new owners for Kuoni Nordic. Swiss Kuoni which since 2001 owns the tour operator Apollo in the Nordic countries, has decided to sell all their tour operator. It includes tour operators in Switzerland, the UK, Benelux, Hong Kong / China, India and Scandinavia. Instead, the company will focus on its core business as a provider of services to the global travel industry. This means that they are looking for a new owner for all their tour operator including Apollo in the Nordic countries. - I am pleased and proud to be back at the Apollo again. It is a strategically correct decision at this stage to seek new owner of Apollo and other tour operator. With the change of Kuonis strategic focus Kuoni is no longer the right owner of Apollo in the future, says Leif Vase Larsen. The decision to seek new owner of the Apollo proposes no changes for customers or employees. All the Apollo trips carried out as usual and future operations continue as normal. The intention is that the new owners will be found during the 2015th".

Και το δεύτερο:
" Staff reaction to Kuoni sale
Staff at Kuoni reacted 'surprisingly positively' to the news that the UK business is now up for sale, according to managing director Derek Jones. Parent Kuoni has put the UK business up for sale, along with tour operations in seven other countries, as it looks to quit the sector to focus on its core activities. Staff were informed yesterday morning of the decision, which will potentially affect 726 people in the UK. Jones said employees were 'surprisingly positively' and supportive of the move, recognising that a new owner would bring further investment for development. But he admitted there were some concerns about a possible change in culture, particularly from staff who had joined Kuoni from large multiples such as TUI and Thomas Cook. "As the day went on, it was clear that some of those guys were nervous that we might get bought by a multiple and become like the companies they had moved away from," he said. "I totally understand that concern and I have some of those concerns as well, but we can address it." Jones said although the decision was ultimately down to the Swiss parent company, he and fellow senior managers in the UK would be able to 'significantly' influence a sale. "We will be the people physically selling the business and outlining to potential buyers our vision for the future," he said. "I believe anyone who would be interested in investing would be investing in the way we do it now." He ruled out a management buy-out of the UK business, unlike Kuoni France which was the subject of a management buy-out 18 months ago. But Jones insisted he was personally 100% committed to taking the business through to new ownership and hoped a role would continue to exist for him afterwards. When asked if there was a guarantee the Kuoni brand would remain in the UK, Jones said it continues to operate under a license in other countries where operations had been sold off. "The plan is that the Kuoni name will stay and Kuoni Group is very happy for that to happen," he said. He confirmed the objective was to sell all of the brands - Kuoni, Carrier, Kirker, Voyage Jules Verne, CV Villas and Journeys of Distinction - as one entity. "Kuoni Group has been very clear that it's their intention to sell it as one business and that's what we will take to market, but who knows. It can go anyway," he said".