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GEODIS announces the acquisition of PEKAES, significantly increasing its network presence in Poland

GEODIS, a world leader in transport and logistics, has reached an agreement with Innova Capital for the acquisition of PEKAES, a leading LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) and FTL (Full-Truckload) network in Poland.

Marie-Christine Lombard, Chief Executive Officer of GEODIS, says: “This acquisition is a major step forward to consolidate GEODIS’ presence in this region, which we consider strategic for the Group’s development.  PEKAES has an excellent local geographical coverage and its team is well recognized for its professionalism. Our complementary customer portfolios and our combined capabilities will allow us to offer Polish companies extensive international opportunities, while our customers will benefit from PEKAES’s expertise in Poland, which is the third largest logistics market in Europe. We are delighted to welcome all PEKAES employees and management into the GEODIS family.”

Created in 1958, PEKAES operates one of the leading FTL and LTL network in Poland for palletized freight. With 20 branches covering the whole of Poland, PEKAES handles all the national and international flows of some 10,000 active customers. The company also carries out, intermodal road-rail transport operations and offers additional logistics services on six dedicated sites. PEAKES employs around 1,200 people.

PEKAES will join GEODIS Road Transport line of business and Olivier Royer, GEODIS Executive Vice President for Road Transport, says: “GEODIS is reinforcing its service offerings in Poland and Eastern Europe, thanks to a best-in-class network. With this operation, GEODIS will also gain access and develop intermodal service offering in Poland and neighboring countries.”

Maciej Bachman, Chief Executive Officer of PEKAES commented: “We are excited to be joining forces with the GEODIS Group to offer our customers global coverage combined with a powerful logistics and transport network.

Krzysztof Kulig, Senior Partner at Innova Capital said: “The scale of PEKAES’s success, transformation and bold expansion on the challenging Polish and international logistics market, which attracted the interest of GEODIS, could not have been possible without the hard work of the Innova Capital team and the company’s management. Together, we’ve built a logistics heavyweight, and the strength and resilience of the business was demonstrated by the negligible impact of the pandemic on current results. I am very grateful for their commitment and initiative.”

The transaction will take effect after completion of the usual regulatory formalities.

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, global supply chain operator recognized for its commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s truly global reach thanks to a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries, translates in top business rankings, #1 in France, #6 in Europe and #7 worldwide. In 2019, GEODIS accounted for over 41,000 employees globally and generated €8.2 billion in sales.

PEKAES – pekaes.pl

PEKAES Groupis a leading provider of transportation and logistics services, which includes the following companies: PEKAES Sp. z o.o., Chemikals Sp. z o.o., Spedycja Polska SPEDCONT Sp. z o.o.

PEKAES Sp. z o.o. is one of the largest companies in the TSL sector. PEKAES is committed to providing Customers with the most efficient management of their goods throughout the entire supply chain. We offer a complete warehouse space services, international and domestic LTL distribution, FTL, domestic, international, maritime, air and rail forwarding as well as bulk logistics and intermodal services.

Our group has one of the most efficient infrastructure of domestic distribution terminals, rail container and transshipment terminals in Poland and partnerships with organizations in all major European countries. PEKAES employs over 1,200 workers in its 20 Polish branches, 3 railway terminals and 6 logistic warehouses.

Our solutions are highly customized integrating IT and constant improvement of transportation operations, which makes us a provider of highest quality services. For more information on the PEKAES Group please visit: pekaes.pl

About Innova Capital https://innovacap.com

Innova Capital is an independent private equity advisor, operating from Poland and investing in majority buyouts in mid-sized enterprises with activities in Central and Eastern Europe. From its inception in 1994, Innova Capital has invested close to EUR 1 billion in almost 60 companies located in 10 countries in the region. Innova was recognized by the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (PSIK) as PE Management Firm of the Year 2019.