GeoPost is set to take a major growth step with the acquisition of the independent French B2Bparcels network Exapaq for an undisclosed sum. This will increase the La Poste Group’s domestic
market leadership and strengthen its European B2B business.La Poste announced that it had authorised its express parcels subsidiary GeoPost to finalise theacquisition of the Exapaq network. This is operated by 15 regional companies. The acquisition wouldreinforce the position of GeoPost as the leading French parcels operator, and would complement theofferings of express subsidiary Chronopost, it said. The acquisition is subject to approval by theFrench competition authority (DGCCRF), the French post office noted.
Exapaq, which is specialised in business-to-business transport of domestic parcels up to 30kg,carries 32 million parcels a year and generated revenues of €194 million in 2004. The networkcovers five national hubs, 52 regional depots and 1,800 branches. The Exapaq partners operate atotal fleet of 1,400 delivery vans and claim 12,000 business customers in France.
According to CEP-Research data, Exapaq is the third-largest French deferred parcels carrierbehind ColiPoste and DHL, and ahead of UPS, Sernam and TNT. In the overall market, includingexpress transport where it is not active, Exapaq is number nine. Experts believe that theacquisition of Exapaq will fill the French gap in La Poste’s European B2B parcel network basedaround GeoPost and Germany’s DPD. Since selling the loss-making Dillipack, DPD France and TATExpress operations, GeoPost has been without any effective B2B parcel network in France. Chronopostis primarily an express operator while Coliposte focuses on the B2C / C2C markets.
The La Poste group had revenues of nearly €3.7 billion from its express and parcels businessesin 2005. GeoPost, the holding for the French and European subsidiaries, is expected to showturnover of €2.5 billion and a volume of 450 million parcels in over 30 countries last year. TheFrench B2C parcels carrier ColiPoste, with turnover of about €1.1 billion, operates independentlyof GeoPost.
