Whoever offers more is left behind
Billboards: APG apparently offers airports higher fees for billboard concessions than Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP). However, Unique does business with CCP.
Billboards APG is apparently offering airports higher fees for billboard concessions than Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP). But Unique is doing business with CCP. "I will be sending Unique's Chairman of the Board of Directors Andreas Schmid a letter this week to express my displeasure," says Christian Kauter, CEO of APG. The reason for his annoyance: Unique, the operator of Zurich Airport, has extended the billboard concession with outdoor advertiser Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP), which expires in December, by three years, with an option for a further two years. Kauter knows that Unique can hardly be accused of anything legally, but he finds two things "disturbing": firstly, the tender four years ago was so short-notice that no one other than the then concessionaire CCP was able to meet the airport's time frame. In addition, Unique CEO Josef Felder had promised APG a further tender in 2004. Kauter therefore describes the fact that the contract has now been extended without a submission as "unfair treatment". He is considering appealing to the Competition Commission (Weko). However, he believes his chances of success are slim.
Weko does not want to do anything
Why is that? After all, the city and canton of Zurich own 53% of Flughafen Zürich AG. But the Competition Commission waves it off. "Unique is a listed company and is basically free to decide how and to whom it awards the billposting sites," says Patrik Ducrey, Deputy Director of the Competition Commission. Despite being a major shareholder under public law, the obligation of local authorities to issue public tenders would therefore not be transferred to Unique. "At present, we see no reason to intervene here," concludes Ducrey.
But there is another question: without giving any figures, Kauter claims to have promised Zurich Airport a higher fee than CCP in the 2000 tender. This is almost impossible to verify. However, the few public figures from the airports suggest that Kauter's statement could be correct. The Geneva and Lugano-Agno airports, which are marketed by APG, apparently received 74 and 111 centimes per passenger respectively in 2003. Unique, on the other hand, received a maximum of 45 centimes from CCP. However, it should be noted that CCP has apparently steadily increased its fees to Unique despite a significant drop in passenger numbers (in 2001 the maximum was 35 centimes, in 2002 it was 39 centimes).
Unique spokesperson Urs Brütsch does not want to comment on this - "because we do not provide any information about submissions to tenders." He only refers to the Unique communiqué of June 15, which justifies the extension of the contract with CCP as follows: "Plakanda AG has made major investments together with Unique in recent years in the replacement of outdated advertising media and in the installation of new and in some cases exclusive advertising media in the construction elements of the 5th construction phase. (...) The successful cooperation to date, the continuity of customer contacts and the ongoing marketing of the new advertising locations in connection with the 5th construction phase were decisive factors in the decision to extend the contract."
Markus Knöpfli
Weko does not want to do anything
Why is that? After all, the city and canton of Zurich own 53% of Flughafen Zürich AG. But the Competition Commission waves it off. "Unique is a listed company and is basically free to decide how and to whom it awards the billposting sites," says Patrik Ducrey, Deputy Director of the Competition Commission. Despite being a major shareholder under public law, the obligation of local authorities to issue public tenders would therefore not be transferred to Unique. "At present, we see no reason to intervene here," concludes Ducrey.
But there is another question: without giving any figures, Kauter claims to have promised Zurich Airport a higher fee than CCP in the 2000 tender. This is almost impossible to verify. However, the few public figures from the airports suggest that Kauter's statement could be correct. The Geneva and Lugano-Agno airports, which are marketed by APG, apparently received 74 and 111 centimes per passenger respectively in 2003. Unique, on the other hand, received a maximum of 45 centimes from CCP. However, it should be noted that CCP has apparently steadily increased its fees to Unique despite a significant drop in passenger numbers (in 2001 the maximum was 35 centimes, in 2002 it was 39 centimes).
Unique spokesperson Urs Brütsch does not want to comment on this - "because we do not provide any information about submissions to tenders." He only refers to the Unique communiqué of June 15, which justifies the extension of the contract with CCP as follows: "Plakanda AG has made major investments together with Unique in recent years in the replacement of outdated advertising media and in the installation of new and in some cases exclusive advertising media in the construction elements of the 5th construction phase. (...) The successful cooperation to date, the continuity of customer contacts and the ongoing marketing of the new advertising locations in connection with the 5th construction phase were decisive factors in the decision to extend the contract."
Markus Knöpfli
