Tag Archives: Logistics

KKR Becomes a Shareholder in Mirastar to Grow European Logistics Platform

KKR

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 23, 2020– KKR, a leading global investment firm, and Mirastar, a specialist developer, investor and manager of industrial and logistics (I&L) assets in Europe, announced that KKR has acquired a strategic stake in Mirastar from M7 Real Estate.

The transaction will further expand KKR’s presence in European I&L real estate. To date, KKR and Mirastar have acquired a 49,000 sqm forward funding project in the Netherlands and aim to continue assembling a high-quality portfolio of assets and development projects in gateway cities across Western Europe. Mirastar will be the primary platform for I&L real estate transactions in Europe.

KKR has a significant recent track record in the I&L real estate market across Europe, having acquired c.800,000 sqm of I&L space over the last 24 months across France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Ireland. The investment in Mirastar was made through a European real estate fund managed by KKR.

Mirastar was co-founded in 2019 by Ekaterina Avdonina, Chief Executive Officer, and Anthony Butler, Chief Investment Officer, with initial platform backing from M7 Real Estate. The team currently comprises 15 senior real estate professionals and has offices in London, Madrid and Rotterdam.

Guillaume Cassou, Partner and Head of European Real Estate at KKR, commented: “Logistics real estate continues to be an attractive market for KKR, despite the challenges of the current market environment, with strong investment fundamentals and future growth drivers. We look forward to building on our existing relationship with Mirastar to leverage these trends, investing in the continued supply of high-quality assets to meet the growing tenant demand evident across Europe and further building KKR’s footprint in European logistics.”

Ekaterina Avdonina, CEO of Mirastar, commented: “Against the difficult market backdrop prompted by the outbreak of Covid-19, our conviction in the underlying, long-term structural forces behind the growth of logistics real estate remains. Since launching last year, we have demonstrated our ability to execute our strategy and, by extending our strong working relationship with KKR, we look forward to building on that further. We have identified an attractive pipeline and are well placed to act on opportunities in the market.”

Anthony Butler, CIO of Mirastar, commented: “We are grateful to M7 Real Estate for the initial backing and now that our platform is more established we will continue to expand across more geographies with the support of KKR, as both shareholder and primary investor. Due to our combined development and investment expertise along with backing of a world class investor the future looks very exciting as the logistics sector continues to strengthen at a faster pace.”

Richard Croft, Executive Chairman of M7 Real Estate, commented: “Backing new ventures has always been a passion of M7’s and having supported Ekaterina and Anthony with the launch of their business, it is pleasing to see them move into the next phase of growth with KKR. We wish them well on their future journey.”

ENDS

Note to Editors:

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Mirastar

Mirastar is a specialist pan-European developer, investor and manager of big box logistics co-founded in 2019 by Ekaterina Avdonina, Chief Executive Officer, and Anthony Butler, Chief Investment Officer with initial platform backing from M7 Real Estate. Mirastar has a high-quality portfolio of assets/development projects across the Netherlands with an exit GDV in excess of €100 million and is currently expanding into the UK and Spain. Mirastar comprises a team of 15 senior real estate professionals with over 210 years of total experience and has offices in London, Madrid and Rotterdam.

For additional information please visit Mirastar’s website at www.mirastar.eu

For enquiries:
KKR:
Finsbury
Alastair Elwen
Tel: +44 20 7251 3801
kkr@finsbury.com

Source: KKR

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BD MYSHOPI expands specialist logistics services with the acquisition of DOCKX SELECT

NPM Capital

BD myShopi and Dockx Group have signed an agreement finalising the acquisition of the activities of Dockx Select. Coming as it does after the acquisition of CityDepot, which specialises in sustainable urban logistics, BD myShopi now adds a second established player in omni-channel ‘last mile’ logistics.

Dockx Select delivers ‘oversized’ goods to consumers on behalf of retailers and producers. Consumers can choose to have their order delivered to their home, with options including delivery to a specific storey, assembly, installation and waste recycling; alternatively, they can opt to collect their item from one of Dockx Select’s 24 pick-up points.

“Following the acquisition of CityDepot at the end of last year, this is the next step in the expansion of our smart logistics activities for our clients,” explains Raf Lambrix, CEO of BD myShopi, an NPM Capital portfolio company. “Where CityDepot is a pioneer in cutting the number of logistical movements in cities, with a view to achieving maximum CO2 reduction, Dockx Select pioneers the collection of goods flows with more sustainable, grouped deliveries or central collection. The activities of both CityDepot and Dockx Select are modelled on our existing logistical network, which continues to enable us to focus on our core activity: door-to-door delivery of advertising leaflets.”

With 25 logistical units at strategic locations in Belgium, BD myShopi has the potential to roll out Dockx Select’s unique, comprehensive logistical services nationwide, and to achieve even faster growth in smart logistics. In addition to keeping on Dockx Select’s 15 employees, Commercial Director Mario De Bruyn and Operations Director Gert Van den Bossche will also be remaining on board. This continuity will maintain the high-quality service provided by both BD myShopi and Dockx Select.

Also read ‘BD myShopi acquires CityDepot from bpost’
Also read ‘BD myShopi signs up to Green Deal for Sustainable Urban Logistics’

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Shippeo raises €20 million to provide real-time visibility into the global supply chain

Ngp Logo

Shippeo, the leading supply chain visibility provider in Europe, announces the closing of a €20 million Series B round co-lead by NGP Capital and ETF Partners with participation from Bpifrance Digital Ventures and Partech.

Shippeo provides predictive and real-time visibility into goods delivery. The AI-based platform aggregates data from hundreds of sources in real-time to calculate the estimated time of delivery arrival with 98% accuracy. Since its creation in 2014, Shippeo has successfully scaled its operations and is now servicing more than 50 large customers, such as Schneider Electric, Carrefour, Eckes-Granini and Leroy Merlin, across 40 countries. The team has grown tenfold and Shippeo now employs 80 people in seven different offices across Europe.

Over the last year, Shippeo has increased its turnover by 300%, positioning itself as one of the fastest-growing start-ups in Europe.

The Series B round of €20 million in new equity is co-lead by NGP Capital and ETF Partners with participation from Bpifrance Digital Ventures. Partech, who participated in the Series A round, also took part in this new funding, reaffirming its trust in Shippeo and its long-term support to the management team

Pierre Khoury – CEO and Lucien Besse – COO of Shippeo, said:

“Welcoming top-tier investors is a great source of pride for Shippeo. Their international reach and strong experience in the mobility sector will be a major asset when implementing our ambitious strategy to become the global leader of a $6 billion market. By revolutionizing supply chain visibility, Shippeo aims to unlock value for shippers and carriers, and in the long run, reinvent freight transport.”

Bo Ilsoe, Partner of NGP Capital, stated: “Working with great entrepreneurs is our core mission at NGP Capital and we are honoured to join Pierre, Lucien and the talented Shippeo team in their continued journey. The supply chain industry is ripe for increased digitization and we look forward to adding-value to the company through our global model and network.”

Remy de Tonnac, Partner at ETF Partners, said: “Shippeo created an outstanding platform to help Shippers embrace the efficiency of « Industry 4.0 » with superb customer experience. Going forward, Shippeo’s platform will also help the transportation industry to have much better visibility on its environmental impact and thus will drive significant improvements here for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

Shippeo will use the Series B funding:

  • To further strengthen its market-leading position in Europe by multiplying the customer base times five while maintaining very high customer satisfaction,
  • To expand the team by 150 new recruits in data science, IT, sales and operations,
  • To triple its R&D investment in AI and automatization to achieve increased operational excellence and increased customer visibility into the supply chain.

The supply chain industry remains fragmented and underserved from a technology standpoint. With more than 600.000 road freight companies in Europe alone, digitization offers a tremendous opportunity for industry disruption and Shippeo is leading the way in decreasing fragmentation and increasing real-time visibility into freight delivery.

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Latour completes acquisition of Caljan

Latour logo

On October 11, Investment AB Latour signed an agreement to acquire Caljan based in Århus, Denmark. All closing conditions have now been fulfilled and the transaction has been completed as of November 29.

Göteborg, November 29, 2019

INVESTMENT AB LATOUR (PUBL)
Johan Hjertonsson, CEO

For further information, please contact:
Johan Hjertonsson, President and CEO Investment AB Latour +46 702 29 77 93
Anders Mörck, CFO Investment AB Latour +46 706 46 52 11
Gustav Samuelsson, Director M&A, Investment AB Latour, +46 46 735 52 55 59
Investment AB Latour is a mixed investment company consisting primarily of a wholly-owned industrial operations and an investment portfolio of listing holdings in which Latour is the principal owner or one of the principal owners. The investment portfolio consists of nine substantial holdings with a market value of about SEK 64 billion. The wholly-owned industrial operations have an annual turnover of about SEK 13 billion.

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Tosca to acquire Polymer Logistics

Apax

Addition of Polymer Logistics will enhance Tosca’s geographic and product diversification and build on strong innovation platform

Atlanta, Georgia, USA, October 16, 2019: Tosca, an innovator in reusable packaging and supply chain solutions in the United States, announced today that it has agreed to acquire Polymer Logistics (“Polymer”), an innovative company specializing in reusable transport packaging and retail merchandising systems in the United States and Europe, from a consortium of private investors.

Tosca to acquire Polymer Logistics

In conjunction with the transaction, funds advised by Apax Partners (the “Apax Funds”), which acquired Tosca in 2017, will commit additional capital to Tosca to fund the acquisition of Polymer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Tosca has a 60-year history of innovation that has driven its growth into a leading North American provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a wide array of markets. Today the company employs more than 950 people and operates 14 service centers across the US, working with the nation’s largest and most influential grocery retailers and suppliers to provide solutions for shipping perishables, reducing shrink and driving supply chain efficiency.

Founded in 1994, Polymer is a leader in retail ready packaging systems and technologies. The company provides reusable containers and other packaging and related services to grocery end markets, as well as retail, logistics and consumer goods customers. Its manufacturing operations are based in Israel and the company operates across the US, the UK and Continental Europe.

The acquisition of Polymer will expand Tosca’s geographic reach and increase its product portfolio. This will offer customers a stronger value proposition through increased network density, particularly in the US, and an expanded product offering.

Eric Frank, CEO of Tosca stated: “The acquisition of Polymer represents a major milestone in Tosca’s growth. Polymer is a leading RPC provider, with a broad international footprint, vertically integrated manufacturing operation, and a shared focus on innovation that will allow us to significantly enhance our geographic reach and offer customers an expanded product line to better meet their needs.”

Ashish Karandikar, Partner at Apax Partners, said: “We are excited to support Tosca in this transformational acquisition. Polymer has a strong track record of financial performance and a culture of innovation. The acquisition allows Tosca to access attractive markets outside of the US, while benefiting from scale, cross-selling opportunities, and collaboration on innovation.”

Gideon Feiner, Founder and CEO of Polymer Logistics, noted: “Tosca and Polymer have a shared commitment to service excellence, innovation and reducing waste throughout the supply chain. I am excited about the possibilities that will be created by our combined company and am looking forward to stepping into a new leadership role at the planned Cleanpal® unit.”

Following the close of the acquisition, Tosca intends to carve out Polymer’s Cleanpal® reusable pallets business as a separate unit within the company. Polymer Founder and CEO Gideon Feiner will assume the role of its CEO.

About Tosca 

Tosca is a leading provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a diverse range of products including eggs, case-ready meat, poultry, produce, and cheese. Our proven RPC system is a smarter way to move fresh product safely from source to shelf, substantially reducing shrink and labor cost, maintaining product quality, and optimizing overall supply chain efficiency for retailers, growers, and suppliers. For more information visit: www.toscaltd.com.

About Polymer

Polymer Logistics is a provider of Retail Returnable Packaging (“RRP”) solutions to leading retailers and suppliers mainly in the US, Continental Europe and the UK. It designs and supplies reusable RRP units that function as both transport storage containers/pallets and in-store displays. The Group is a provider of pool equipment services, supplying RRP units directly to retailers, or indirectly to major suppliers to retailers, through rental agreements. Both methods are aimed at establishing long term rental relationships with customers. Polymer Logistics is based in The Netherlands with subsidiaries in the UK, Italy, Israel, the US and branch offices in Spain and in Austria.

About Apax Partners

Apax Partners is a leading global private equity advisory firm. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of approximately $50 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Tech & Telco, Services, Healthcare and Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

Media Contacts

For Tosca

Susan Heil, Tosca I +1 920 569 5335 I sheil@toscaltd.com

For Polymer Logistics

Shlomit Gotlib, Polymer Logistics I +97 2 54 6923064 I Shlomit.Gotlib@polymerlogistics.com

For Apax Partners

Global Media: Andrew Kenny, Apax | +44 20 7 872 6371 | andrew.kenny@apax.com

USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212 521 4854 | todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com

UK Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | apax@greenbrookpr.com

Notes to Editors 

London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com), and Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) had a shared history but are separate, independent private equity firms.

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Tosca to acquire Polymer Logistics

Apax

Addition of Polymer Logistics will enhance Tosca’s geographic and product diversification and build on strong innovation platform

Atlanta, Georgia, USA, October 16, 2019: Tosca, an innovator in reusable packaging and supply chain solutions in the United States, announced today that it has agreed to acquire Polymer Logistics (“Polymer”), an innovative company specializing in reusable transport packaging and retail merchandising systems in the United States and Europe, from a consortium of private investors.

In conjunction with the transaction, funds advised by Apax Partners (the “Apax Funds”), which acquired Tosca in 2017, will commit additional capital to Tosca to fund the acquisition of Polymer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Tosca has a 60-year history of innovation that has driven its growth into a leading North American provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a wide array of markets. Today the company employs more than 950 people and operates 14 service centers across the US, working with the nation’s largest and most influential grocery retailers and suppliers to provide solutions for shipping perishables, reducing shrink and driving supply chain efficiency.

Founded in 1994, Polymer is a leader in retail ready packaging systems and technologies. The company provides reusable containers and other packaging and related services to grocery end markets, as well as retail, logistics and consumer goods customers. Its manufacturing operations are based in Israel and the company operates across the US, the UK and Continental Europe.

The acquisition of Polymer will expand Tosca’s geographic reach and increase its product portfolio. This will offer customers a stronger value proposition through increased network density, particularly in the US, and an expanded product offering.

Eric Frank, CEO of Tosca stated: “The acquisition of Polymer represents a major milestone in Tosca’s growth. Polymer is a leading RPC provider, with a broad international footprint, vertically integrated manufacturing operation, and a shared focus on innovation that will allow us to significantly enhance our geographic reach and offer customers an expanded product line to better meet their needs.”

Ashish Karandikar, Partner at Apax Partners, said: “We are excited to support Tosca in this transformational acquisition. Polymer has a strong track record of financial performance and a culture of innovation. The acquisition allows Tosca to access attractive markets outside of the US, while benefiting from scale, cross-selling opportunities, and collaboration on innovation.”

Gideon Feiner, Founder and CEO of Polymer Logistics, noted: “Tosca and Polymer have a shared commitment to service excellence, innovation and reducing waste throughout the supply chain. I am excited about the possibilities that will be created by our combined company and am looking forward to stepping into a new leadership role at the planned Cleanpal® unit.”

Following the close of the acquisition, Tosca intends to carve out Polymer’s Cleanpal® reusable pallets business as a separate unit within the company. Polymer Founder and CEO Gideon Feiner will assume the role of its CEO.

About Tosca 

Tosca is a leading provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a diverse range of products including eggs, case-ready meat, poultry, produce, and cheese. Our proven RPC system is a smarter way to move fresh product safely from source to shelf, substantially reducing shrink and labor cost, maintaining product quality, and optimizing overall supply chain efficiency for retailers, growers, and suppliers. For more information visit: www.toscaltd.com.

About Polymer

Polymer Logistics is a provider of Retail Returnable Packaging (“RRP”) solutions to leading retailers and suppliers mainly in the US, Continental Europe and the UK. It designs and supplies reusable RRP units that function as both transport storage containers/pallets and in-store displays. The Group is a provider of pool equipment services, supplying RRP units directly to retailers, or indirectly to major suppliers to retailers, through rental agreements. Both methods are aimed at establishing long term rental relationships with customers. Polymer Logistics is based in The Netherlands with subsidiaries in the UK, Italy, Israel, the US and branch offices in Spain and in Austria.

About Apax Partners

Apax Partners is a leading global private equity advisory firm. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of approximately $50 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Tech & Telco, Services, Healthcare and Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

Media Contacts

For Tosca

Susan Heil, Tosca I +1 920 569 5335 I sheil@toscaltd.com

For Polymer Logistics

Shlomit Gotlib, Polymer Logistics I +97 2 54 6923064 I Shlomit.Gotlib@polymerlogistics.com

For Apax Partners

Global Media: Andrew Kenny, Apax | +44 20 7 872 6371 | andrew.kenny@apax.com

USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212 521 4854 | todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com

UK Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | apax@greenbrookpr.com

Notes to Editors 

London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com), and Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) had a shared history but are separate, independent private equity firms.

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Latour acquires Caljan

Latour logo

Investment AB Latour (publ) has signed an agreement to acquire Caljan based in Aarhus, Denmark. The acquisition, which requires approval from European authorities, is expected to close in December.

Caljan is a leading supplier of automation technology for parcel handling in the logistics and e-commerce sectors. The product offering includes telescopic conveyors, automatic label and document handling and solutions for logistics depots. The company, founded in 1963, has headquarter in Denmark and subsidiaries in Germany, France, UK, Latvia and USA. Net sales amount to approx. EUR 100 million, with an operating margin exceeding 15 per cent and with strong growth. The company has 450 employees.

“Caljan is a high-performer with a market leading position in the logistics sector and strong customer relationships with prominent logistics and e-commerce companies. We are pleased with this acquisition and convinced that Caljan is well positioned for continued global growth, driven primarily by strong developments within e-commerce. Additionally, Caljan gives us interesting exposure to a new segment with a robust underlying global trend. We welcome Caljan as a new business area to our wholly-owned industrial operations”, says Johan Hjertonsson, CEO of Investment AB Latour.

“I am delighted to embrace Latour as our new owners. They are a long-term industrial owner that can support Caljan’s plans for expanding into new technologies and new markets”, says Henrik Olesen, CEO of Caljan.

As a result of the acquisition the net debt (excluding IFRS 16) of Investment AB Latour is expected to increase by EUR 250 m.

Göteborg, 11 October, 2019

INVESTMENT AB LATOUR (PUBL)
Johan Hjertonsson
President and CEO

For further information, please contact:
Johan Hjertonsson, President and CEO Investment AB Latour +46 702 29 77 93
Anders Mörck, CFO Investment AB Latour +46 706 46 52 11
Gustav Samuelsson, Director M&A, Investment AB Latour, +46 46 735 52 55 59

Investment AB Latour is a mixed investment company consisting primarily of a wholly-owned industrial operations and an investment portfolio of listing holdings in which Latour is the principal owner or one of the principal owners. The investment portfolio consists of nine substantial holdings with a market value of about SEK 57 billion. The wholly-owned industrial operations have an annual turnover of about SEK 12 billion.

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Ardian acquires a majority stake in Staci, a European leader in specialty logistics

Ardian

Paris, October 8, 2019 – Ardian, a world leading private investment house, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in Staci, a European leader in specialty logistics, from Cobepa. The management team led by Thomas Mortier, as well as Société Générale’s investment teams, are reinvesting alongside Ardian.

Founded in 1989, Staci is an independent company that has grown to become one of the European leaders in innovative B2B and B2B2C logistics solutions for companies wishing to outsource all or part of their network or customer procurement operations. The company has a unique know-how in management of complex and scalable logistics flows, such as in dealing with a multitude of suppliers and delivery points, low unit volumes, non-standard formats, barcoded and non-barcoded products. In particular, the company has developed a strong expertise in the logistics of advertising and promotional media.

Staci has a leading position in its market niche, based on a model of pooling its warehouses and resources and its portfolio of services, which are all built around a proprietary IT system. Staci is present throughout Europe with a wide spectrum of clients ranging from multinational groups to local companies across several sectors, including food, health and cosmetics, telecoms and financial services. Staci has about 1,900 employees and generated more than 250 million euros in turnover in 2018.

Thomas Mortier, CEO of Staci, said: “Staci employees are delighted to open this new page in the company’s history with Ardian. The management team has reinvested very significantly in the business and we share the same values and vision with the Ardian team with regards to Staci’s development strategy in France and abroad. I would like to thank our employees, partners and shareholders for their commitment, support and professionalism, which every day contribute to the quality of the services we provide to our customers.“

Lise Fauconnier, Managing Director, and Alexandre Vannelle, Director at Ardian Buyout, said: “We are proud to invest in Staci to accelerate the next phase of its development and to support Thomas Mortier and his team. The high quality of the relationships established, and their strong growth reflect the company’s excellence. Alongside the management team, we will continue to develop Staci and consolidate its presence in key geographical areas through strategic acquisitions, in a market that is still very fragmented.“

Jean-Marie Laurent Josi, CEO, and Charles-Henri Chaliac, Member of the Executive Committee of Cobepa, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Thomas Mortier and his team in the execution of a truly transformative strategic plan for the Staci Group, which has been able to both strengthen its position in its local market, while fulfilling its international ambitions and simultaneously strengthening links with its main customers. The Group’s unique know-how, coupled with its strong potential for organic and acquisitive growth, enables it to move smoothly into its new development phase with the support of Ardian.”

Staci is the fifth investment of Ardian’s Buyout team in 2019. With 49 employees in Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and London, the team invests in high-quality mid- and large-cap companies across Western Europe, applying transformation strategies that enable them to become world leaders in their niche markets.

ABOUT STACI

Since 1989, STACI has specialized in fulfilment and offers innovative B2B and B2C solutions to a wide range of industries: pharmaceutical & healthcare, automotive, telecom, retail, hotels & restaurants, tourism, food & beverage, bank & insurance.

With a unique expertise in multi-clients shared warehouses across Europe, STACI implements custom-made and cost effective logistic solutions for bar-coded products – cosmetics, broadband boxes, spare parts, high tech products… and non-bar-coded items – POS and merchandising material, marketing and communication print, goodies.

Thanks to the know-how, the processes and the experience that the company has developed around fulfilment, pick & pack, shared resources, transport optimization, IT systems and stock financing, STACI is able to offer unique and fully integrated supply chain management solutions.

Staci operates 25 warehouses in Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK with 1,300 employees and has achieved 154M€ sales in 2016. STACI is a CSR-driven business with sustainable growth as its core strategy for many years.

www.staci.com

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$96bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 640 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 970 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
www.ardian.com

ABOUT COBEPA

Cobepa is an independent, privately-held investment company backed by European family shareholders and managing a diversified investment portfolio valued at around €2,6 bn. Cobepa invests in established companies with a solid business model, sustainable market position and strong management team. Other important criteria relate to the capacity to generate cash flow, international presence and development potential.
www.cobepa.com

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Ardian : Lise Fauconnier, Alexandre Vannelle, Rafik Alili, Maxime Debost, Anaïs Robin
M&A advisor: Raphaël Advisory (Florent Haïk)
Legal advisor: Weil, Gotshal & Manges ((David Aknin, Guillaume Bonnard, Côme Wirz (corporate), Edouard de Lamy, Alexandre Groult (tax))
Commercial and strategic advisor: Bain & Company (Jérôme Brunet, Doris Galan, Guillaume Levrey)
Financial advisor: Eight Advisory (Eric Demuyt, Pierre-David Forterre)
Financing legal advisor: Latham & Watkins (Lionel Dechmann)

Cobepa: Charles-Henri Chaliac, Lars Lapp, Nicolas Beudin
Legal advisor: Latham & Watkins (Gaëtan Gianasso, Michael Colle)
Financial advisor: Alvarez & Marsal (Donatien Chenu, Benoît Bestion, Alexandre de Vazelhes)

Management advisors
Legal advisors: Natixis Wealth Management (Frédéric Balochard, Florian Pascaud), Scotto Partners (Franck Vacher)

PRESS CONTACTS

STACI
Chupa Renie Communication
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 18 12 37
margaux@chuparenie.com
ARDIAN
Headland
TOM JAMES
Tel: +44 207 3675 240
tjames@headlandconsultancy.co.uk

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Blackstone Completes the Acquisition of U.S. Logistics Assets from GLP, Adding to Firm’s Leading Global Portfolio

Blackstone

New York, September 26, 2019 – Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced that it has closed on its previously announced acquisition of U.S. logistics assets from three of GLP’s U.S. funds for a purchase price of $18.7 billion.

As previously announced, Blackstone Real Estate’s global opportunistic BREP strategy is acquiring 115 million square feet for $13.4 billion and its income-oriented non-listed REIT, Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT), is acquiring 64 million square feet for $5.3 billion.

Blackstone and GLP announced the transaction on June 2, 2019.

Citibank, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Nuveen and Prudential are providing financing for the acquisition. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served as legal counsel to Blackstone.

BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to Blackstone. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Eastdil Secured LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as Blackstone’s financing advisor.

About Blackstone Real Estate
Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has $154 billion of investor capital under management. Blackstone is one of the largest property owners in the world, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, multifamily and single family housing, office, hospitality and retail. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone’s Core+ strategy invests in substantially stabilized real estate globally through regional open-ended funds focused on high-quality assets, and Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT), a non-listed REIT that invests in U.S. income-generating assets. Blackstone Real Estate also operates one of the leading global real estate debt businesses, providing comprehensive financing solutions across the capital structure and risk spectrum, including management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE: BXMT).

Contact
Jennifer Friedman
Jennifer.Friedman@blackstone.com
Tel: (212) 583-5122

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DWS Fund to acquire Hansea, a leading Belgian public transport infrastructure operator, from Cube Infrastructure Fund and Gimv

GIMV

Cube Infrastructure Fund (Cube) and Gimv today announce the sale of Hansea to a fund managed by DWS (“DWS”), a global infrastructure manager. With the support of its investors, the company has focused on organic growth and an active buy & grow strategy since 2014.

In 2014, Cube and Gimv acquired Hansea (Antwerp, www.hansea.be). With a fleet of 811 buses and around 1,200 employees, Hansea is the largest private bus company in Flanders. The company is responsible for daily urban and regional connections on behalf of the public transport companies, De Lijn and TEC. Hansea is also active in school and personnel transport and bus charter services.

Thanks to the entry of Cube and Gimv, Hansea obtained the capital and the independence to successfully realize strong growth of its activity and to complete four acquisitions.

Today, Cube and Gimv announce that they will sell their stake in Hansea to DWS. Together with Hansea’s management team and employees, the new investor intends to continue to build on this growth trajectory, as a stable partner that provides an excellent service to its customers.

Luc Jullet, CEO of Hansea: “We are convinced to be able to continue our growth strategy started with Cube and Gimv with the support of our new shareholder in order to become the indispensable mobility provider in Belgium.”

Hamish Mackenzie, Global Head of Infrastructure at DWS said: “We are delighted to invest in one of the best companies operating in the public transportation sector in Europe. We have identified local and regional public transportation as an attractive sector for our funds given the strong macro fundamentals, supportive regulation and rising investment needs driven by the European green agenda. Hansea stood out as one of the most efficient companies operating in this sector, led by a solid and experienced management team and with significant potential to grow further as an independent operator with a strong connection to the local communities and public transport authorities of the Flanders and Wallonia regions. Cube and Gimv have done an excellent job in growing the company in the past years and we believe that with our track record as infrastructure investors in the Benelux region, along with our strong international brand we will be able to support and accelerate the ambitions of the management team going forward.”

Jérôme Jeauffroy, Managing Partner of Cube Infrastructure Managers, Cube adds: “We are delighted to see DWS as the new shareholder, who share the same vision for Hansea as an infrastructure platform to further expand and recognize the full growth potential of the Company. We believe that Hansea will continue to flourish in the coming years thanks to the support of DWS and the leadership of its CEO and management team.”

Ruben Monballieu, Principal in Gimv’s Sustainable Cities platform adds: “As a Sustainable Cities team we are proud that we have been able to support Hansea’s management in a successful growth trajectory over the past 5 years, and as such could contribute to a more environmentally friendly mobility in Belgium. ”

With the exit of Hansea, the last participation of the Gimv-XL fund has been sold. Launched in 2009, this fund could generate strong returns through a series of successful investments in large Flemish companies. No further financial details are provided on the transaction. This transaction has no material impact on the NAV of Gimv.

The transaction is subject to the customary closing conditions, including approval by the competition authorities.

DC Advisory acted as exclusive financial adviser to Cube and Gimv during the transaction. Linklaters acted as legal adviser to the sellers. Macquarie and Stibbe acted as advisers to the buyers.

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