* Listing to expand shareholder base, access to capital
* Sees growth opportunities in other sectors
(Adds background, detail, quotes)
By Josie Cox
ZURICH, May 7 (Reuters) - Gategroup, a Swiss provider of onboard services for airlines, will list on the Swiss bourse on May 12 as it seeks to expand its shareholder base and raise capital for growth, it said on Thursday.
Gategroup, the parent company of Gate Gourmet and best known for its catering services, had 2008 sales of 2.9 billion Swiss francs ($2.6 billion) and a net profit of 93 million.
Swissair, which founded Gate Gourmet in 1992, sold the catering company to Texas Pacific Group after the airline collapsed in the most high-profile bankruptcy case in Swiss corporate history.
Texas Pacific later sold its remaining shares to investors after reorganising and restructuring the group.
The company, which employs about 22,000 people, signed a 10-year supply contract with British Airways in January. Other customers include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and low-cost airline easyJet.
"Despite the macro economic situation, we have everything that is required to become a public company," chairman Andreas Schmid told reporters.
"We want to use this period before the next economic upswing to work on our profile amongst investors," he said. "Whenever this upswing occurs, we want to be well-prepared so that we can profit optimally".
Gategroup's 19.7 million shares are currently held by more than 100 investors. Gategroup is not issuing new shares or raising capital and there is no public offering of shares.
"Trading on a major exchange will introduce us to a larger pool of potential investors and will underpin our growth prospects through potentially broader access to capital markets," chief executive Guy Dubois said.
Dubois said he was confident the group could keep debt under control. "In the period of 2003 to 2006, we focused on profitability and not growth. We exited markets, terminating business at Charles de Gaulle airport for example, in order to optimise profitability," Dubois said.
Now Gategroup was ready to change its focus towards expansion, into "adjacent businesses, such as airport lounges, executive jet catering and provisions, and trains and hotels," he said.
Gategroup's products serve nearly 4 million flights and trains a year and it sees growth opportunities in outsourcing of catering and in-flight support services by airlines.
It said it also expects to grow in regions such as Asia and the Middle East. (Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Dan Lalor) ($1 = 1.132 Swiss francs)