Brisa in exclusive negotiations to buy French company Axxès
The group led by António Pires de Lima intends to acquire the entire share capital of the company that acts as a “Via Verde” for lorries and buses.
Brisa is in exclusive negotiations to buy the entire capital of the French company Axxès, which specialises in electronic tolls for heavy vehicles. The group led by António Pires de Lima intends to take 100% of the Lyon-based company, which is present in Portugal through its ‘Via Verde’ system for lorries, buses and commercial vehicles.
The transaction, the value of which has not been revealed, still requires consultation with the representative bodies of Axxès employees, as well as the fulfilment of closing conditions and obtaining the necessary regulatory authorisations. When — and if — it is finalised, Axxès will continue to operate under its own brand, management and regulatory framework, Brisa guarantees.
The plan is for the Gallic multinational to strengthen the international portfolio of the Portuguese concessionaire, which has two companies in the Netherlands, as well as the portfolio of services for the heavy goods vehicle segment.
“With the completion of this acquisition, we will reach a very important milestone in the execution of the Brisa group’s strategic plan and consolidate Via Verde as one of the European leaders in mobility. It will be an important step in Via Verde’s growth and development strategy, bringing a company with a strong European presence and a portfolio of services that will complement Via Verde’s existing offer”, says Brisa’s CEO, António Pires de Lima, in statements released on Thursday in a press release.
Axxès’ technology allows trucks, buses and vans to travel between France, Portugal, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Spain and the bridges and tunnels linking Denmark to Sweden without having to collect motorway tolls manually.
Founded in 2005, Axxès operates in these 14 European countries either directly or through interoperability agreements. The company on Brisa’s radar processes transactions worth over a billion euros a year, employs 125 people and, in addition to the digital toll system, has a digital fleet management platform and other mobility management solutions, including an app that allows drivers to reserve parking spaces in guarded spaces.
Its shareholders include Vinci Autoroutes (together with its subsidiaries ASF and Escota, also known as Autoroutes Esterel-Côte d’Azur), the Eiffage group, through its subsidiaries APRR and AREA, Société Française du Tunnel Routier du Fréjus and Société Concessionaire Française pour la Construction et l’Exploitation du Tunnel Routier sous le Mont Blanc.
BCR – Brisa Concessão Rodoviária, Brisa’s main concession, closed last year with profits of 325.9 million euros, which represents an increase of 17.8% compared to 2023, according to the information communicated to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM). The results benefited from the “growth in Portuguese GDP [which] continued to have a positive impact on road traffic”.
