Spanish parking operator Saba to merge with Belgium's Interparking

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish parking operator Saba Infraestructuras will be integrated into Belgium-based Interparking after their main shareholders agreed to a merger, the companies said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The three partners - Belgian insurer AG's property subsidiary, Dutch pension fund APG and Spanish holding Criteria Caixa - will become the main shareholders in the new Interparking Group, which will remain headquartered in Brussels and have a presence in 16 countries, they said.

Saba and Interparking, which had been in talks to combine their businesses into a major European player since November 2022, did not disclose the transaction's value.

The statement added that AG was set to remain the new group's majority and controlling shareholder alongside APG and Criteria, which is La Caixa foundation's investment arm and the biggest shareholder in lender Caixabank and power utility Naturgy.

Following the merger, Interparking will operate over 2,000 car parks with nearly 800,000 spaces and some 8,000 electric vehicle charging points.

AG Group and APG were advised by BNP Paribas and Jefferies, while Interparking was advised by the former as well as the GBS Group. Bank of America advised Criteria and Saba.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Leslie Adler)