BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Lufthansa has made the first formal step towards selling its catering unit LSG, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

“With this step, potential investors are being invited to make their bids,” the spokesman said, adding that Lufthansa planned to sell its unit to a strategic investor in the catering sector.

Austria’s Do&Co and Switzerland’s Gategroup are expected to make offers for the European LSG operations, people familiar with the matter said in March.

Lufthansa’s LSG unit employs 35,000 staff and gerenated revenues of 3.2 billion euros last year.