bpost acquires 100% of Active Ants to boost e-logistics business

Bpost has acquired 100% of the shares of e-fulfilment firm Active Ants, which has been a subsidiary of the Belgian postal operator since 2018 and has helped drive e-commerce cross-border growth within the group over the past five years.

Active Ants, a provider of automated e-fulfilment solutions for online stores, was founded in the Netherlands in 2010. The bpostgroup acquired a majority holding (75%) in the firm in 2018. The aim of the two companies was to support e-commerce activities by providing end-to-end solutions to online stores.

Active Ants’ growth

Over the past five years, the bpostgroup and Active Ants have worked closely together to drive growth. Active Ants is now one of the largest players in the Netherlands with more than 250 clients and over five million orders per year.

Today, the company has five sites in four countries, including in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. The latter was opened in June this year, with capacity at the Belgium site in Willebroek doubled last month in response to the rising demand for logistics support from online stores.

Bpost’s Q2 results also revealed the strong contribution Active Ants has had to the Belgian group. Bpostgroup’s E-Logistics Eurasia unit, which covers cross-border parcels in Europe and Asia Pacific, as well as e-commerce logistics activities, saw double-digit revenue growth and higher profits in the second quarter. Within this unit, e-commerce logistics revenues were up by 8.2% at €70.7 million, driven by the continued expansion of Active Ants (+17.9%).

According to bpost, Active Ants has taken “a clear lead in efficient online order processing” by marketing innovative warehousing, order picking and packing solutions, and pairing employees and robots on the work floor.

“This end-to-end approach fits in perfectly with the cross-border activities of bpostgroup and fully complements the tailor-made fulfilment services Radial offers,” bpost noted.

Management shakeup

Following bpost’s full acquisition, Active Ants directors Jeroen Dekker and Jean Lahaye are now leaving the company but will continue to work to ensure a smooth transition. Meanwhile, Bram Blondé took up his new role as CEO of Active Ants on August 21, 2023.

In a joint statement, Jeroen Dekker and Jean Lahaye, said: “We are genuinely proud of the growth Active Ants has experienced. This innovative concept has become a real success story and, thanks to the partnership with bpostgroup, now markets unique services in multiple countries. We have been working closely with the new CEO, Bram Blondé, for several months and we have no doubt that Active Ants will continue to grow under his leadership.”

Philippe Dartienne, Interim CEO of the bpostgroup, added: “bpostgroup continues to invest in the future. This is a new phase for the company, perfectly aligned with our strategy. In 2018 we acquired a majority holding in Active Ants because we believed in its potential.

“We now see that the services marketed by Active Ants, Radial and Landmark Global are entirely complementary and create added value for our customers. We market virtually a complete range of products and services and always with a particular focus on sustainability,” he added.