Chef Express, the company that manages the Cremonini Group's catering services, and Percassi, a leading company in real estate development and the management of important brands’ commercial networks, have concluded an agreement for the creation of a reference operator in the multi-brand catering supply, dedicated to the Shopping Centres, Shopping Malls, Outlets and Retail Park sectors. Chef Express acquired 60% of Percassi Food & Beverage, which is renamed C&P Srl, while the remaining 40% remains in the property of Percassi through Odissea Srl. The boundary of C&P S.r.l currently concerns 16 catering points of sale in the main shopping malls and Italian urban centres with Casa Maioli (artisan wrap format, 9 premises), Caio Antica Pizza Romana (Roman pizza format, 5 premises), and the famous Asian restaurant brand Wagamama (2 premises), for a total annual turnover of over 10 million Euro.

Chef Express has also directly acquired two points of sale - one branded Caio Antica Pizza Romana, the other branded Wagamama - at Milan Malpensa airport, previously managed by Percassi Food & Beverage. Outside the C&P’s network remains the Starbucks brand, which will continue its development in Italy exclusively within Percassi.

An operator is thus born that positions itself as a point of reference for developers and managers of shopping centres, shopping malls, outlets and retail parks with a modern and efficient, competitive and diversified range of catering brands. C&P S.r.l has an important development plan that expects to open twenty new sales points a year. Chef Express will also be able to develop C&P brands within the concession, inside airports, railway stations and highways and, at the same time, will have the opportunity to export some of the 30 brands in its portfolio within the market segment so far controlled by Percassi Food & Beverage.

Vincenzo Cremonini, ceo of Cremonini Group, explains that “the birth of C&P represents an important synergy between two large Italian groups, which permits the combination of Cremonini's catering management and operational skills with Percassi's know-how in real estate development and retail. In addition, it is consistent with the development plans of our catering sector, which has performed very well in recent years and is that which has grown faster within the Group thanks to the expansion of the brands controlled by Chef Express S.p.a within railway stations, airports and highways, and the development of our Roadhouse and Calavera chains. The agreement with Percassi, therefore, through the expansion of our catering brands portfolio, will allow us to seize further growth opportunities".

Matteo Percassi, Director of the Odissea holding company declared: "We are happy to have signed an agreement with the Cremonini family, with whom to develop further the Wagamama, Casa Maioli and Caio Antica Pizza Romana brands. We are confident that we will work synergistically to develop even the brands controlled by Chef Express, by pooling specific skills, in particular by giving our contribution to retail development thanks to our experience in the sector".

The new C&P company will also act as an incubator and developer of new catering concepts, or by aggregating others already existing, even from foreign operators interested in developing their brands in our country.