Lagardère Services: a strenghtened organization to promote development and growth

In order to launch a new phase of international expansion, Lagardère Services strengthens its organization around its two core businesses, Distribution and Travel Retail.
Jean-Louis Nachury, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and Dag Rasmussen, President & Chief Operating Officer of Lagardère Services, the distribution and services branch of Lagardère, have unveiled a major reshuffle centered on its two core businesses-distribution and travel retail-along with the introduction of a new operating structure.

Distribution:
Lagardère Services is one of the world’s leading press distributors and the leading name in national press distribution in the United States, Belgium, French-speaking Switzerland, Spain and Hungary. The company now supplies numerous convenience store networks, for which it has developed a range of concepts providing press publications and convenience products to customers. Lagardère Services is now seeking to extend this expertise to business segments outside of the press market. The decision to create LS Distribution, comprising the group’s six distributors in Europe (Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Hungary) and in North America (United States and Canada) should allow the division to step up growth through speedier diversification, particularly by way of industrial, commercial and financial partnerships. The new entity, which has sales of nearly €2 billion, is headed up by Jean-Baptiste Morin who has been appointed Chairman & CEO of LS Distribution.

Travel Retail:
Drawing on an outstanding 160 years’ experience in the travel-retail business, Lagardère Services operates the world’s largest international network of news & convenience outlets based in transportation hubs. All of the group’s travel-retail companies are now part of LS Travel Retail, which comprises two divisions: LS Travel Retail EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), based in Paris, LS Travel Retail ASPAC (Asia-Pacific), based in Singapore and LS Travel Retail North America (USA & Canada), based in Toronto, Canada.

LS Travel Retail ASPAC, which has been headed up by Emmanuel de Place for the past few months, is home to all travel-retail activities in the Pacific (Australia through NewsLink, and New Caledonia) and in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan).

LS Travel Retail EMEA, the management of which has been entrusted to Vincent Romet, is organized on a country-by-country basis: the division comprises all travel-retail activities in Europe (France, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and the UK) and coordinates the group’s other European retail operations. In France, all Travel Retail operational activities, News & Convenience as well as Duty Free and luxury, are brought together under a common banner, LS Travel Retail France, the General Management of which has been entrusted to Michel Perol.
LS Travel Retail EMEA also includes Aelia, the expertise, sourcing and duty-free branding center of the Group. The company supplies and advises the group’s European firms and also coordinates with operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Ambroise Fondeur becomes CEO of Aelia.

LS Travel Retail North America, whose President, Chief Executive Officer is Gerry Savaria, will continue to report directly to Dag Rasmussen.

• Download the press release