Posten Norden, the new merger between Swedish and Danish Posts, has sold part of its Danishbusiness to GLS and acquired the Belgian transport company EKL.
With effect from 28 October 2009, Posten Norden’s logistics companies in Denmark, PostDanmark A/S and Direct Parcel Distribution (Denmark) A/S (DPD), have sold a number of customercontracts on the Danish standard B2B parcel market as well as a depot in Århus to General LogisticsSystems Denmark A/S (GLS). Overall, GLS will acquire large and small customer contracts equallingabout 10% of Posten Norden’s domestic standard B2B parcel market. The price of the divestment wasnot disclosed.
The sale was the condition set by the European Commission for approval of the merger betweenPost Danmark and Swedish Posten AB earlier this year. The EU approval of the divestment which willreduce Posten Norden’s activities on the Danish standard B2B parcel market also means the finalapproval of the merger.
“It is always unpleasant to have to say farewell to customers, but this was the price forobtaining approval of the merger. We will now focus strongly on building a new competitive Nordiclogistics company,” said Carsten Dalbo, the head of Posten Norden’s logistics activities inDenmark. He stressed that the transfer to GLS only involved contracts on the Danish standard B2Bparcel market, and not other contracts customers may have concluded with the two postal companieswhich now have been merged.
No negative impact is expected to result for customers from the divestment with both partiestrying to avoid any disturbances related to the acquisition, Post Danmark said in a statement.
It has been agreed with GLS that relevant customers will be phased out in a transitionalperiod until 15 June 2010. Until this date, Post Danmark and DPD will provide parcel deliveryservices for customers who are not yet transferred, on behalf of GLS. “We will provide the sameservice and the same high quality as received by our own customers,” Dalbo confirmed.
The divested customer contracts have been randomly selected on the basis of a number ofcriteria agreed with the European Commission, such as geography, customer size and line ofbusiness.
Separately, Posten Norden has expanded its presence on the Belgian market through theacquisition of the local company EKL to offer international companies better logistics solutions toand from the Nordic region via Europe.
With the acquisition, Posten Norden expects to boost its logistics operations in the Beneluxregion. EKL’s domestic market includes Belgium and parts of France, and a considerable proportionof its transport assignments are to the rest of Europe.
Under the name HIT Belgium, EKL will be part of Posten Norden’s logistics operations inCentral Europe, which already operate in the Netherlands and Germany. Both companies havecooperated over several years via transport service partnerships.
“An increasing number of European companies are seeing the potential of the Nordic region asa single market, with strong purchasing power among companies and consumers. The acquisition of EKLwill reinforce Posten Norden’s capacity to meet the demand for deliveries as well as for turnkeylogistics solutions between Europe and the Nordic region,” said Henrik Höjsgaard, Senior VicePresident, Head of business area Logistics.
EKL was established in 2004 with its headquarters and main terminal based in Eupen, Belgium.The logistics firm focuses mainly on in-night transport services, i.e. the transportation of goodsduring the night, to companies operating mainly within the automotive and manufacturing industriesand to companies manufacturing agricultural spare parts.
Through its logistics unit, Posten Norden provides companies with cost-effective and highquality logistics solutions to enable them to reach companies within Central Europe, as well as toand from the entire Nordic region. The business is run via subsidiaries with terminals in Lübeck,Germany and in Heerenberg, the Netherlands.
Posten Norden offers both day and night deliveries within Central Europe and to the Nordiccountries where the goods arrive the next day in Malmö in Sweden, Oslo in Norway, Copenhagen inDenmark and Helsinki in Finland. Its customers include Honda, Adidas, BonPrix, Haléns, Klingel andmany more.
