Chamonix Renegotiates Ski Lift Company Contracts
Friendly divorce for Compagnie du Mont Blanc and Chamonix
In a contract that dates back nearly a century, the paperwork that binds the Compagnie du Mont Blanc who manage the Chamonix lifts with the Chamonix town hall, will soon be voided to make way for a new contract and new investments.
Ahead of the scheduled 2018 official end to the CMB contract with Chamonix, Eric Fournier (mayor of Chamonix) and Mathieu Dechavanne (CEO of the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc) have agreed that now is a good time to renegotiate the contracts.
Waiting another five years for an improved investment plan could risk leaving Chamonix behind in terms of lift operations, so ahead of schedule a new service delegation will be drawn up to manage the lifts in the Chamoinix valley.
Eric Fournier estimates some 100 million should be invested in the valley for the resort to move forward and that a modern contract with one concession will secure the investment.
Opening up the tender will make the CMB a candidate for their own succession but also presents an opportunity for outside tenders to apply. However a new buyer would need to immediately pay 65 million euros (the estimated value of the shareholders), and will need to put 100 million euros on the table. The new contract would not open up the Aiguille du midi or Montenvers to new investors, further reducing the chances of an outside tender.
The new contract will be drawn up this year and will last until 2043, a number of investments into the Chamonix lift system are expected to follow; a new chairlift for the Grands Montets and a replacement telecabin at Le Tour are amongst the first investments to be made.
