Munich, 16 July 2024 - The future of the tourism service centre erf24 touristic services GmbH (erf24), previously part of the FTI GROUP, has been secured: The provisional insolvency administrator of LMM Last Mile Media GmbH & Co. KG (a subsidiary of the also insolvent FTI Touristik GmbH), Axel Bierbach, has succeeded in finding a suitable buyer in close co-operation with the FTI managing directors Karl Markgraf and Lars Creutzmann, who offers the successfully positioned company good prospects for the future. RT/Raiffeisen Touristik Group GmbH (RTG) is taking over erf24 via its subsidiary EUVIA TRAVEL GmbH. EUVIA TRAVEL also owns the well-known travel channel sonnenklar.TV.
With the takeover of erf24 by RTG, the jobs of around 200 employees at the Erfurt site will be retained. As one of the largest tourism service centres in Germany, erf24 specialises primarily in the telephone marketing of holidays. Founded in 2004 under the name Ostteam GmbH, the Erfurt-based company focussed on website development for the online sale of tourism products. This developed into the Service Centre, which gradually took over the handling of the trips. For some years now, the company has been concentrating on its core business of tourism services, offering customised services - from advice and bookings to complaints management and invoicing. In addition to customers of the FTI GROUP, erf24 also looks after customers of the travel channel sonnenklar.TV, among others.
"The sale of erf24 touristic services GmbH is another important step in our intensive efforts to find a good solution for valuable parts of the FTI GROUP. I am very pleased that the takeover of erf24 by RTG means that the jobs at the Erfurt site and the existing, valuable expertise will be retained," said the provisional insolvency administrator of LMM Last Mile Media GmbH & Co. KG, Axel Bierbach from the law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen, said on Tuesday in Munich.
About Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen
The law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen has specialised in restructuring and insolvency administration for many years and has offices throughout Bavaria. A total of six administrators handle insolvency proceedings at numerous local courts in Bavaria and Thuringia. The firm's particular strengths include insolvency plan proceedings, self-administration and group insolvencies in addition to restructuring by transfer. Lawyer and insolvency administrator Axel W. Bierbach specialises in business continuations and restructurings in a wide range of industries and has many years of experience. In the tourism industry, he has handled the insolvencies of tour operator IPM Service & Reisen GmbH (distribution partner of Tchibo-Reisen, among others), VIVA Sportreisen GmbH and the Munich-Upper Bavaria Tourism Association, among others. Bierbach is a member of the Verband Insolvenzverwalter und Sachwalter Deutschlands e.V. (www.vid.de) and the Gravenbrucher Kreis, the association of leading, nationally active insolvency administrators and reorganisation experts in Germany who act in accordance with the exclusive InsO Excellence standard. Bierbach is recommended as a top lawyer in the current industry rankings by JUVE, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers and WirtschaftsWoche. Further information can be found at www.mhbk.de.
About the FTI GROUP
Until June 2024, the FTI GROUP, with its numerous brands and subsidiaries, was the third largest tour operator in Europe. Headquartered in Munich, the group employed over 11,000 people worldwide and generated consolidated sales of around 4.1 billion euros in the 2022/23 financial year. After FTI Touristik GmbH filed for insolvency on 3 June 2024, a Q&A section was set up on the company website for affected customers and partners. Further information on the FTI GROUP and the preliminary insolvency proceedings can be found at: www.fti-group.com
Contact for the media:
For the provisional insolvency administrator
Law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen
Nicole Huss
E-mail: presse@mhbk.de
For FTI Touristik GmbH
Angela Winter
E-mail: presse@fti.de