Dive Brief:
- Kuehne + Nagel will acquire European logistics firm Rotra’s overland and logistics operations, according to a company press release.
- Rotra operates a fleet of 200 trucks and manages cross-docking facilities in the Netherlands and Belgium. Once the deal is finalized it will retain control over its ocean freight, airfreight and container terminal activities.
- “Rotra is a leading and well-rooted player in the Netherlands and in Belgium — two of the centres of gravity for logistics in Europe,” Stefan Paul, a member of Kuehne + Nagel’s management board responsible for overland operations, said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Kuehne + Nagel has been expanding its overland presence in Europe throughout 2019, where it currently operates in 36 countries with 345 branches, 5,000 trucks and 7,000 trailers running over 3,000 daily departures.
In July, it acquired a medium-sized overland logistics provider, Jöbstl, based in Austria. Senior Vice President of Overland Europe at Kuehne + Nagel Uwe Hött said in a statement integrating Jöbstl’s network across Austria and Slovenia (including 20,000 square meters of cross-docking facilities) strengthens Kuehne + Nagel’s connection to other European countries “while increasing frequency of departures and shortening lead times.”
In September, in a continuation of its overland strategy, Kuehne + Nagel broke ground on a new 20,000 square meter contract logistics hub in Luxembourg through a partnership with Swiss running shoe company On AG.
“In view of the increasing demand for pan-European e-fulfillment services for dynamically growing companies like On, Kuehne + Nagel is positioning itself as an integrated logistics provider in Europe,” Tobias Jerschke, managing director of Kuehne + Nagel BeLux in Belgium said, In a press release announcing the event.
