Source: DSV
Danish forwarder DSV has fulfilled all closing conditions for its acquisition of Germany-headquartered global freight forwarding and contract logistics business DB Schenker from Deutsche Bahn.
The €14.3bn transaction – which has faced opposition from unions as well as (reportedly) a rival bid from CVC – is expected to take place on 30 April and will create the world’s largest freight forwarder. It will also strengthen DSV’s Air & Sea division, adding more than 4m TEU of sea freight and around 2.5 tonnes of airfreight every year, DSV said.
Among the conditions for the purchase were European Commission approval, granted earlier this month, and the completion of a waiting period in the US, which has just expired.
Deutsche Bahn put DB Schenker on the market in December 2023; its sale to DSV was confirmed in September 2024 and approved by the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn the following month.
DSV group chief executive Jens Lund said then that, going forward, mergers and acquisitions would “remain a core pillar of our corporate strategy” alongside organic growth.
