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BIG RED INVESTMENT • H ESSERS CONTINUES ON ITS RAPID GROWTH PATH, ITS LATEST PROJECT BEING THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF THE MEEUS GROUP AND ITS LOGISTICS ACTIVITIES
presence in the market. Moreover, it gives me the opportunity to further focus on the development of the Hartog and Bikker companies.” The acquired companies have an expected turnover of €57m in 2020, making this H Essers’ largest ever acquisition. “The acquisition of the Meeus Group heralds a new growth phase that will allow us to significantly increase our warehousing footprint in the Netherlands, a phase in which we will be focusing on large, modern European distribution centres,” Bervoets explains. “Currently, it concerns 160,000 m² of warehouse space – with enormous expansion potential – with which to offer our customers integrated logistics solutions ranging from storage, picking and packing, to advanced added-value services such as filling activities.” The deal will also expand H Essers’ transport and distribution network, bringing with it 100 trucks and 590 trailers and chassis. “The inland terminal, strategically located between the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, represents a geographically important reinforcement of our multimodal services, which are in full growth,” Bervoets adds. Neither party has revealed financial details of the acquisition, which remains subject to final agreement and approval by the competition authorities.
H ESSERS REPORTS that it is in “advanced negotiations” to acquire the logistics and transport activities of the Netherlands-based Meeus Group. H Essers says the acquisition is in line with its multi-year growth plan, which involves continuing to invest heavily in advanced chemical logistics activities and to expand its footprint in the Netherlands. “The acquisition of the Meeus Group’s chemical cluster will significantly expand our warehousing footprint as well as our multimodal transport and distribution network in the Netherlands,” says Gert Bervoets, CEO of H Essers. “We look forward to pooling the expertise of our companies: a win-win for both parties and our customers.”
activities, of which one location is in France; Mepavex Logistics, which offers warehousing and value-added services; Meeus Transport, which operates within and between the Netherlands and France; Meeus France; forwarding operations Meeus Freight Management and BGT; Benelux transport operation Darvi Transport; the MCT inland container terminal; and the UTS network of removal companies. Meeus Group’s three Hartog and Bikker companies, which lie outside the chemical cluster, are not involved in the deal. JOINING FORCES “When we look at our chemicals activities,
SHELLING OUT The major deal follows swiftly on from H Essers’ takeover of Norwegian tank container operator Tank Management A/S this past September (HCB October 2020, page 40). But that is far from all that has been going on at the Belgium-based logistics firm of late. This past October it opened a new warehouse at its site in Kluizendok, Ghent, specifically to handle chemicals for Shell. The development is part of the broader trimodal terminal, where warehousing was established in 2018 and now offers some
The acquired assets will include: Meeus Group’s chemical cluster and two removal
we see that our customers are increasingly looking for logistics partners with a broad range of services and a large geographic footprint,” says Toon Meeus, third generation head of the Meeus Group. “Joining forces and integrating our chemical cluster in a company such as H Essers will result in a stronger
50,000 m² of space. The investment at the Kluizendok location follows the pattern of the new Dry Port Genk terminal, where work also started in 2018, but focusing on synchromodality. This is enabled by the large rail terminal adjacent to the site, certified for handling dangerous goods, as well
BUILDING ON ITS HOMELAND SITES IN BELGIUM, H ESSERS IS LOOKING FOR GROWTH ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE
HCB MONTHLY | JANUARY 2021
