Netherlands-based ATG Travel Worldwide is expanding its
presence in Germany with the acquisition of CWT’s business operations in the
country.

The TMC, which has a number of fully owned regional offices
and a comprehensive network of franchised businesses, said in a statement it
has “long held many ties to Germany and has a strong growth path and
aspirations”.

ATG chief executive officer Tammy Krings told BTN Europe
that the deal – the value of which was not disclosed – incorporates “local
German businesses who have a strong foundation here.” Krings added: “There are some global accounts that we will
not be acquiring that are serviced in Germany,” she continued, but the acquisition will
nevertheless “triple” ATG’s presence in the country.

The deal is expected to close on 1 September, when the
company will “change the CWT name to ATG Business Travel Management GMBH”, said Krings. “Everyone who’s currently employed by CWT in Germany
will have the opportunity to move over as an ATG associate.”

The announcement comes days after the US Department of
Justice’s decision to drop its antitrust suit against American Express Global
Business Travel’s acquisition of CWT, clearing the way for their merger.
However, Krings said ATG’s acquisition of CWT’s German operations was signed in the last week and is an unrelated transaction.

“It’s completely separate.
I’ve had no conversations with GBT. They’re not part of this transaction, it’s
just between CWT and ATG,” said Krings, who assumes Amex GBT was aware of the deal.

ATG and CWT first began
talking about a deal in April 2024, said Krings, shortly after Amex GBT’s
planned acquisition of CWT was announced.

Asked whether ATG looked at
similar opportunities in other markets, Krings said: “Initially we did, but
Germany is a target market for us and it has been for years. We wanted
to grow and scale this market so we abandoned any other ideas – it wasn’t just
CWT, we were looking at other agencies in other markets – and we decided to
focus on Germany.”

Krings added: “We’ve been in
the German market for over 20 years but people still think of us as being new.
Our own office has been open for nine years. We’re a safe choice.”

Both Tammy and husband Torsten Krings, president of ATG,
worked for Wagonlit Travel and for CWT. “We
have some history and this feels like a full circle moment. Our culture at ATG
is very familiar with the old Wagonlit culture – a people first culture; an empowerment culture. Our existing ATG office here [in Germany] is very excited
about bringing many of their former colleagues into ATG.”

Krings said CWT’s employees in Germany will be brought onboard “as quickly
as possible” after 1 September, with the integration of the business expected
to take between 12 and 24 months. “The bulk of the transition will really occur
in a six-month period and the remainder will be more technical in nature.”

According to Europe’s Leading TMCs 2025, CWT achieved an estimated €369 million in sales in Germany last year and had around 140 full-time equivalent employees.

In a statement provided by CWT, the TMC’s president and CEO Patrick Andersen said: “We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with ATG. CWT and ATG share a deep commitment to customer service and closely aligned operating cultures. I am confident that this will be a positive outcome for both our customers and our employees.”

Since this story was published, ATG and CWT have confirmed the acquisition is expected to close in Q3 but not necessarily on 1 September.

• Amex GBT
has been approached for further information but had not responded at the time
of publication.