This is the largest acquisition ever made by the French shipowner CMA CGM present in around a hundred countries with its 13,500 employees.
The two giants had been discussing the subject for six months. They finally found common ground after the last straight line of exclusive negotiations that began on April 18. Bolloré Logistics, an entity bringing together the transport and logistics activities of the Bolloré group, indicated on Monday May 8 that it had accepted the promise to purchase from CMA CGM on the basis of an enterprise value of 5 billion euros.
It must be said that the moment is ideal. Long in the red, the CMA CGM group, world number three in container transport, is taking advantage of the overheating of maritime transport, created by the Covid crisis. The band ended 2022 with a record profit of more than 23 billion eurosoutperforming all CAC 40 groups.
From dispatch to delivery
The Marseille shipowner, managed by Rodolphe Saadehas since 2019 multiplied acquisitions and stakes in French and foreign flagships, ranging from the Swiss Ceva Logistics to Air France-KLM or Eutelsat.
This time, CMA CGM is investing inland. This allows it to support its logistics branch. The group is able to offer a complete journey to its customers: from shipping the product to its delivery, including cargo, planes, trucks and warehouses.
Bolloré, for its part, is committed to refocusing on the media, in particular via the giant Vivendi (owner of Canal+, Havas and Editis) which is now the majority shareholder at Lagardère.
(With AFP)