A.P. Moller – Maersk has announced the acquisition of two B2C e-commerce-focused logistics businesses, Visible Supply Chain Management in the US and B2C Europe in The Netherlands, for a total cost of $924 million.
The two acquisitions will help to support supply chain modernisation driven by e-commerce sales growth and an increasing proliferation of ‘digital first’ strategies among Maersk customers, as consumer buying patterns and digital platforms accelerate online consumption.
“Maersk has set out to build strong e-commerce logistics capabilities that will extend and reinforce our existing supply chain offering and create growth opportunities,” said Vincent Clerc, Maersk Ocean & Logistics CEO.
“Today, customers rely on the integrated logistics approach and services which Maersk offers. By combining that with the operating models and value proposition of Visible SCM and B2C Europe, we will enable our customers to continue to develop their e-commerce offering, thus extending the scope and potential of our strategic partnerships.”
“The acquisitions will provide Maersk with a strong growth platform in the rapidly evolving field of e-commerce, where our investments in digitalisation and integration will create significant synergies and make a big difference for customers’ ability to sell across multiple channels effectively. Furthermore, they will allow us to have a more comprehensive offering towards small and medium sized customers.”
Maersk plans to use its e-commerce technology backbone to build out a global business focused on two core capabilities – B2C Fulfilment and B2C Delivery – across the world’s three largest e-commerce regions: Europe, North America, and Asia.
Visible SCM, the major acquisition of the two at a cost of $838 million, operates nine fulfilment centres in the US, a network which will allow Maersk to deliver goods on behalf of its customers to 75% of the US population within 24 hours of receipt at the centres, reaching 95% of the US within a two-day delivery window.
B2C Europe, bought for $86 million, operates a European carrier network and provides multi-carrier management tools and track & trace capabilities, which will improve Maersk’s last-mile capabilities across the continent.
“The continuous expansion of our logistics product portfolio is supporting our long-term plans to help customers perform better in any business cycle,” said Aymeric Chandavoine, Global Head of Logistics and Services at Maersk.
“I’m delighted to welcome Visible SCM and look forward to welcoming B2C Europe, and together upscaling our platform and e-commerce capabilities globally and build what you could call the ‘factory-to-sofa cycle’ defining B2C supply chain success.”
