Panalpina, Agility in talks for logistics deal

Feb 15, 2019: Panalpina's board of directors has confirmed that they are in the preliminary stage of discussion with Kuwait-based Agility Group on strategic opportunities with regard to their respective logistics businesses.

Panalpina Welttransport Holding AG, a Switzerland-based holding company engaged in the transportation sector, is in talks with Agility, but is still reviewing an approach by Denmark's DSV A/S, the company said in a statement.

Negotiations about combining Panalpina and Agility are progressing and a transaction is backed by the Ernst Goehner Foundation, Panalpina's biggest shareholder. The foundation, which owns 45.9 percent of Panalpina, rebuffed DSV's unsolicited $4.1 billion offer this month. Panalpina chairman, Peter Ulber, and vice chairman, Beat Walti, serve not only on the Panalpina board but also on the board of Ernst Goehner. The foundation said that it fully supports the company in implementing its strategy and realising its full potential which includes taking an active role in the consolidation of the industry.

Stefan Karlen, chief executive officer (CEO), Panalpina said that the company would be looking to grow organically and inorganically through acquisitions.

DSV's approach to Panalpina comes just months after it failed in an attempt to buy Switzerland's CEVA Logistics. DSV's Jens Bjorn Andersen, chief executive said that he remains in pursuit of a deal, and has faced hurdles in Switzerland as he seeks to grow DSV's footprint, having failed last year in $1.55 billion bid for CEVA.