Club Mediterranee is poised for a change of ownership after French stock-market regulator AMF gave the go-ahead to a takeover bid led by Italian businessman Andrew Bonomi and private equity fund Investindustrial.
The first holiday company to operate all-inclusive resorts, Club Med had been expected to pass into the hands of Chinese conglomerate Fosun and French private equity firm Ardian – formerly AXA Private Equity.
But Bonomi launched a rival bid last month with an offer valuing Club Med at €790 million, 22% more than the bid submitted by Fosun and Ardian.
Fosun announced it was withdrawing its offer yesterday after the French regulator ruled the bid by Bonomi and a consortium calling itself Global Resorts complied with stock market rules.
Ardian and Fosun each own 9% of Club Med and Fosun said it would continue “exploring potential options”.
Bonomi already holds a 10% stake of the all-inclusive operator.
Global Resorts is 90% owned by Investindustrial, with the remainder made up of South African hotel investor Sol Kerzner, Brazilian investment company GP Investments and amusement park operator PortAventura.
The Bonomi-led consortium has told Club Med shareholders that it would triple current investment plans to a value of €484 million, open new resorts and increase the number of beds by 5,000 to 20,000.