France's biggest cinema chain signs with NZ's Vista

Movie Director Francois Truffaut filming The Wild Child on August 15, 1969 in Paris, France. Photo / Getty Images

NZX-listed Vista Group said it had signed an agreement to supply its specialised software to France's biggest cinema chain - Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont.

The deal was done through its subsidiary Vista Entertainment Solutions with Les Cinémas, which also operates in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

In March, Vista said it had decided to sell direct in France after terminating a deal with Côté Ciné Group.

Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont will engage the Vista Cinema management software suite for the sale of tickets and concessions across the French circuit of 69 sites and a total of 773 screens, Vista said.

The French group had opted to use the breadth and depth of the Vista Cinema product portfolio, including Vista Cinema's food and beverage functionality to operate their Starbucks coffee venues and other specialised food and beverage offerings, Vista said.

The roll-out of the Vista Cinema software suite across the chain in France is scheduled for 2019.

For their projects in Northern-Africa, Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont has chosen the cloud-based cinema management system Veezi, another innovative solution developed by Vista Entertainment.

Veezi is already operating successfully on the African continent and meets local payment and reporting requirements.

Mischa Kay, managing director of Vista Entertainment Solutions, EMEA, said it was a "monumental turning point" for Vista Cinema in France.

Martine Odillard, chairman of Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont, said implementing Vista Cinema software solution was a milestone in its strategy of upgrading and modernising its cinemas.

Slade Robertson, managing director at Devon Funds Management, said the momentum in the core Vista Cinema business appeared to be accelerating.

"This is a very positive announcement for Vista and is a great testament to the quality and depth of their cinema software solutions," he said.

In May, Vista said it had signed Japan's largest cinema chain, Aeon Entertainment. Japan is in the top five, by box office revenue, of the world's film exhibition markets.

Vista Cinema, the largest member of the group, added almost 800 new cinemas in 2017, to the more than 5,550 already taking its software products. It also brought 11 new countries on board, including Brazil, Italy and Austria, taking total countries to 93, the company said in February.

Vista shares, which debuted on the NZX in August 2014 at $2.40, last traded at $3.61.

Additional reporting BusinessDesk