Scandic to Take Over Portfolio of Eight Hotels in the Nordic Countries

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The agreement covers a total of 1,708 rooms of which 1,136 are in Norway, 357 in Stockholm and 215 in Copenhagen. Seven of the hotels are owned by Pandox and one is owned by Eiendomsspar. Pandox operates all of the hotels. The parties have agreed on long-term variable revenue-based lease agreements for the hotels. Scandic Hotels and Eiendomsspar/Rica Eiendom have also agreed to renovate and extend the existing lease for Scandic Holmenkollen Park Hotel in Oslo.

Oslo's leading hotel, Grand Hotel, which dates from the late 19th century, is included in the agreement. In the last 18 months, the hotel has undergone an extensive renovation. Grand Hotel, which is owned by Eiendomsspar, will become Scandic's sixth signature hotel in the Nordic countries. Signature hotels "by Scandic" have a unique character, design and offering that set the collection apart. Haymarket by Scandic and Grand Central by Scandic in Stockholm are two examples of signature hotels that were launched last year.

The Lillehammer Hotell, Meetingpoint Hafjell, Thon Hotel Fagernes and Thon Hotel Sørlandet in Norway are also included as well as the Best Western Plus Prince Philip and The Hub Hotel in Stockholm and First Hotel Copenhagen in Copenhagen. All of the hotels have a strong position within the meeting, business or leisure segments in their respective markets. They will be rebranded as soon as possible to the Scandic brand.

The transfer will be carried out without consideration and all of the hotels will contribute positively to Scandic Hotels' EBITDA already from 2017. The hotels will be renovated and the property owners will be responsible for the majority of the remaining investments until Scandic takes over operation.

- We are now fortifying our position as the leading hotel company in the Nordic region and at the same time deepening our successful long-term partnership with Pandox. I look forward to us operating and developing these hotels further and to making Grand Hotel in Oslo into a signature hotel "by Scandic", says Frank Fiskers, President & CEO of Scandic Hotels Group.

- This agreement is in line with Pandox' strategy to be active across the entire value chain and to rent hotel properties to strong operators following takeovers and rebranding. Through this agreement with Scandic, our biggest partner, we are strengthening our rental portfolio through the addition of seven competitive leases with a skilled operator and further increasing our strategic scope for maneuverability, says Anders Nissen, CEO of Pandox.

The transfer of the hotels in Norway is subject to approval by the Norwegian competition authorities. According to the plan, Scandic Hotels will take over the operation of the hotels in stages during the second quarter of 2017.  

Invitation to press conference

Grand Hotel Olso's owner, Eiendomsspar, is inviting journalists and investors to a press conference that will be held at Grand Hotel Oslo on January 18 at 9:15.

Christian Ringnes, Chairman of the Board of Pandox and CEO of Eiendomsspar together with Helge Krogsbøl, Vice President Operations Scandinavia at Pandox, Frank Fiskers, President & CEO of Scandic and Svein Arild Steen-Mevold, Head of Scandic Norway will present the cooperation in more detail and answer questions.

Please RSVP Kristian Røise Dahl at +47 958 41 992 or kristianroise.dahl@scandichotels.com 

Scandic Hotels Group (publ) is required to publish this information in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Market Act. This information was submitted for publication on January 18, 2017 at 8:00 CET.

For more information, please contact:

Elin Westin,
Director of Communications, Scandic Hotels Group
Email: elin.westin@scandichotels.com
Phone: +46-702-77-75-26

Henrik Vikström, Interim VP Investor Relations
Email: henrik.vikstrom@scandichotels.com
Phone: +46-760-09-05-47

About Scandic

Scandic is the largest hotel company in the Nordic region with 14,400 team members and a network of close to 230 hotels with about 44,000 hotel rooms in operation and under development. Scandic Friends is the biggest loyalty program in the Nordic hotel sector with 1.9 million members. Corporate responsibility has always been a part of Scandic's DNA and Scandic has been named Best Hotel Brand in the Nordic countries (BDRC). Since December 2, 2015, Scandic has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.scandichotelsgroup.com

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