France: CDA to Invest 200 Million Euros in Ski Lift Projects and Records Better Annual Results Than Before the Start of the Pandemic

France’s Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), which currently operates 13 theme parks and ten ski resorts in Europe, will invest around 200 million euros in the expansion and renewal of its ski areas by 2026, the Paris-based operator group recently announced. The extensive contract for the supply of ropeway and ski lift equipment was awarded to POMA, a well-known ropeway builder and operator based in the French Alps. With its choice in favor of a French manufacturer, the company underlines its ambition to support the local supply industry as a regional partner in economically difficult times. Part of the multi-year contract is to equip almost all ski resorts operated by CDA with new ropeway, ski lift and gondola lift systems, including for example the Villaroger Ski Resort (Les Arcs in the Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes region), to provide greater visitor comfort, operator safety and energy efficiency through new infrastructure and technological innovation.

In addition, the French operator group recently published its annual results for the past fiscal year 2020/2021, which ended on 30 September 2022, and in which the provider was able to achieve a better result than before the start of the pandemic. With record sales totaling 958.5 million euros, the CDA recorded a 17.8 percent increase compared to the 2018/2019 fiscal year, while the company’s “Leisure Park” division even achieved a 23.1 percent growth compared to the period just mentioned. Read more about the results of this and other groups and parks in our March/April 2023 issue. (eap)