TUI Plans to Sell Hapag Stake in January, Expand in Russia

TUI AG plans to sell its remaining stake in the Hapag-Lloyd AG container-shipping business in January and expand further in Russia and China as the German tour operator redefines its business model.

“We looked for ways to exit Hapag-Lloyd such as finding a new investor or doing an initial public offering, but without having the chance to succeed we’re back to our right to tender our stake,” Chief Financial Officer Horst Baier said yesterday in an interview in Frankfurt. “Assuming we get all the approvals, we’ll execute our option on Jan. 2.”