MILAN – Through its HMSHost International subsidiary, Autogrill Group (Milan: AGL IM) has executed an agreement with Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the main railway operator in The Netherlands, to manage three new locations at Utrecht Centraal railway station.
These points of sale are expected to generate total revenues of around Euro 60 million over the 10-year contract.
The café and restaurant offering in the new points of sale, scheduled to open by the end of 2015, will be introducing a number of innovative concepts developed by Autogrill, including the “Bistrot Centrale” already successfully tested at the railway station of Milano Centrale and at Düsseldorf Airport, and to be launched in the coming months at Frankfurt Airport.
The new locations, which will welcome travellers under the signs of “Bistrot Utrecht Centrale”, “Koffiehuis” and “Bar Centraal”, will cover a total area of over 1,300 square meters.
Starting up at Utrecht Centraal railway station is another step forward for Autogrill’s expansion in Europe, and in The Netherlands in particular, where the Group operates 75 points of sale at Schiphol Airport (80% of total food & beverage space) and 18 locations on the main motorways.
“This contract enables us to enter also the busiest rail hub in The Netherlands”, said HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib.
“Also thanks to collaboration with Nederlandse Spoorwegen, we have developed an offering in line with the station’s modern and innovative spirit, which will help to make travellers’ experience of the place even more enjoyable”.
“We are constantly seeking out partners who have developed concepts of excellence for the spaces in our station.
We know that food & beverage facilities are of key importance for the satisfaction of our travellers,” commented NS Stations Real Estate director Peter Mulder. “In this light, the brands selected along with HMSHost enable us to enrich our offering.”