French Forwarder to Acquire US Logistics Firm OHL
Geodis, a French-owned freight forwarder and transport firm, has agreed to acquire logistics operator OHL, based in Brentwood, Tennessee, for an undisclosed amount.
OHL, formerly known as Ozburn-Hessey Logistics, ranks No. 24 on the Transport Topics Top 50 list of the largest logistics companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company operates more than 120 distribution centers in North America and provides fulfillment services for a range of companies in apparel, electronics, health care, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods.
Geodis is owned by France’s national rail firm, SNCF, and operates in 67 countries. The company ranks No. 27 on the Transport Topics list of top freight forwarders and No. 21 on the TT list of top airfreight forwarders.
Geodis CEO Marie-Christine Lombard said the purchase of OHL will provide its customers with access to the North American market while Geodis will be able to help OHL clients grow their business internationally.
OHL reported gross revenue of $1.3 billion in 2014. It is owned by private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.
If completed, the Geodis-OHL deal will be the latest in a series of mergers involving European and U.S. logistics firms. French transporter Norbert Dentressangle acquired distribution specialist Jacobson Cos. in 2014 and was itself acquired earlier this year by U.S.-based XPO Logistics.
In June, Swiss forwarder Kuehne + Nagel International acquired U.S. brokerage firm ReTrans Inc. FedEx Corp. also is in the process of trying to acquire Dutch parcel carrier TNT Express.
