(News Bulletin 247) – The digital services company indicates that it has finalized the sale of this asset to the Italian group Lutech. Atos secures approximately 80% of the €700 million revenue target under its divestment program.

Less than a week after taking note of Airbus’ decision to no longer invest in Evidian, Atos is making further progress in its disposal program. The digital services company announced on Monday that it has finalized the sale of its operations in Italy to the Italian group of digital services and solutions Lutech.

This transaction, for which exclusive negotiations were initiated in mid-November, will be fully paid for in cash. However, the scope acquired by the Italian group excludes the EuroHPC activities, i.e. a trans-European supercomputer activity, as well as the activities of Unified Communications & Collaboration in this country, which are the subject of a separate disposal project. .

Atos completes the sale of an asset in a country where it was in retreat. Since June 2022 and the exit from the capital of its former subsidiary in payments Wordline, Atos indicates that it has finalized four transactions and signed an additional transaction, thus securing approximately 80% of the 700 million euros of financial products planned by its program of disposals.

At the Paris Stock Exchange, the announcement is positively received by the market, the title taking 1.3% around 10:15 am after a difficult end of March. In the middle of last week, the Atos share had indeed sunk by 16.75% after the refusal of Airbus to continue the discussions started with Atos concerning its investment in Evidian.

The Evidian snub

Last Wednesday, the aircraft manufacturer had indeed indicated that it will not continue the discussions started last February with Atos concerning a minority stake of 29.9% in its future branch of digital and cybersecurity activities.

This about-face confirmed information from BFM Business reported earlier in the day on Wednesday. Several ex-EADS administrators questioned the “unreasonable price” asked by Atos for its cybersecurity branch as well as “the structure [même] of the operation”.

Although damaged, relations between the two companies will continue, Atos said in its press release. The digital services company said at the time that it was exploring other options with Airbus with a view to “working on the long-term strategic and technological partnership between Airbus and Atos, which has the potential to create significant value for both companies, in the prospect of submitting these options for consideration by its board of directors”.