Corporate Express to Sell Courier Unit

Corporate Express of Broomfield, Colo., an office products distributor, said it is involved in "serious discussions" with parties interested in acquiring its courier delivery business.

Divestiture of the courier business, which company officials say generates annual revenue of $650 million, is one of the conditions attached to the proposed acquisition of Corporate Express by Buhrmann N.V. of Amster-dam, Netherlands.

Burhmann announced a tender offer for all shares of Corporate Express July 13 (7-26, p. 3).

Linda Dill, vice president of strategic planning and investor relations, said Corporate will continue to operate its fleet of about 1,000 delivery trucks in the United States and will probably pick up additional vehicles from Buhrmann once the deal is completed.

In a related development, Corporate Express said it will invest $1.7 million over the next three years in trans-portation delivery technology. The company will use routing software from Roadnet Technologies and portable bar code data collection devices from Symbol Technologies to develop new systems designed to improve order delivery, customer service and efficiency.

Buhrmann shareholders approved the purchase of Corporate Express Aug. 4, and both companies are waiting for rulings by regulatory and antitrust authorities in Europe and the United States.

The deal is also subject to approval by Corporate Express shareholders.