Rhenus swoops on BLG’s air and sea forwarding business
16 / 02 / 2021
Rhenus Air and Ocean is taking over the freight forwarding business of BLG International, which will concentrate on its contract logistics, automotive and container divisions.
The move will see Rhenus add an extra nine locations in Germany to its current network of 12 air and sea offices.
The nine freight forwarding sites operated by BLG, which have about 100 employees, are due to be integrated within the existing network of Rhenus Air & Ocean in Germany from the beginning of April, if the deal is approved by regulators.
They include business sites in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. This will enable the company to handle greater volumes through its less-than-container-load gateway in Hilden and its air freight hub at Frankfurt.
Rhenus added that the acquisition will tap into new business fields and said that it is making its global network available to the BLG Group.
“We’ve gained a strong partner in Rhenus Air & Ocean and it’s making available its extensive network to our customers thanks to its global presence,” said Jens Wollesen, the contract board member at BLG Logistics.
“BLG is strategically adapting to changes in market conditions through the sale of our freight forwarding business. Even if we’ll no longer be represented right across Germany in terms of freight forwarding in future, we’ll continue to provide extensive international services in our contract, automobile and container divisions.”
Stefan Schwind, managing director of Rhenus Air & Ocean, Deutschland, said: “We’ve paved the way for the continual expansion of our air and sea freight activities during the last few years.
“Thanks to the additional business sites, employees and business activities, we’re consolidating our network in the Air & Ocean division in Germany. We’d also like to develop new lines of business like transporting food using reefer containers and activities in the trade fair and event
The BLG freight forwarding site in Bremen, which focuses on overland traffic, transporting heavy goods, project business and sea freight, is excluded from the takeover.
The move comes two years after BLG began to expand its forwarding presence in Germany through takeovers and organic growth.
