A.P. Moller - Maersk to acquire e-commerce logistics capabilities in Europe and US

Your partnership is of the utmost importance to us as we continue to look for ways to simplify and connect your supply chain. We take pride in meeting your end-to-end needs and we are constantly looking for opportunities to build an offering that brings further ease, flexibility and speed into your logistics network.

Market dynamics are changing and we see more and more consumers doing their shopping online. With an increasing relevance of business-to-consumer supply chains and in line with our strategy to become the global integrator of logistics, we have set out to further build on our e-commerce capabilities. We are therefore pleased to announce that we have acquired Visible Supply Chain Management, a US-based business-to-consumer (B2C) logistics company focused on parcel delivery and e-fulfilment services in the US, and reached an agreement to acquire Dutch-based B2C Europe, a logistics company focused on B2C parcel delivery services in Europe.*

*While both parties connected to the Visible SCM acquisition successfully closed the transaction on August 2nd, please note that the acquisition of B2C Europe is subject to regulatory approvals and the transaction is expected to close in Q4, 2021. Until then, Maersk and B2C Europe remain two separate companies and thus will perform their business as usual.

Both Visible SCM and B2C Europe are well-established and recognised players in the e-commerce logistics industry and these two acquisitions will bring proven, high performance expertise, infrastructure and technology to the services and network already offered at Maersk. It further gives you the opportunity to sell online independently with market competitive service levels and a seamless omni-channel integration between B2B and B2C supply chains.

Our aim is for you to be able to sell through any sales channel and deliver in any way while at the same time improve flexibility and supply chain resilience when navigating risks and opportunities. We want to help you seize all relevant market opportunities and our goal is to provide you with reliable and connected solutions that enable you to grow in the e-commerce space without losing the direct interface to your customers.

In working closely with our customers, your pressure points are our pressure points and we are optimistic about the opportunities this will bring to the final mile delivery. It is our sincere hope that these acquisitions will be a significant measure in ensuring end-user delivery and that you will be able to better service your customers’ current and future needs, all while we work even hard to build further capabilities in this field.

We look forward to sharing more details on our expanded capabilities in due course. To learn more about Visible SCM and B2C Europe, please see below. To answer your most immediate questions, please read our more detailed Q&A prepared by our teams. Should you have any further questions on how we can help you and your business please contact your local Maersk professional.

Visible SCM operates nine fulfilment centers in the US, complementing Maersk’s current warehouse presence in North America. Visible SCM handles 200,000 orders a day and enables 200 million parcels a year through their proprietary technology solutions with 99.8% order accuracy. This nationwide network of multi-client e-commerce fulfilment centers combined with their distributed order management system enables Visible SCM customers to tap into a network solution versus reliance on a single location fulfilment option. This option creates superior consumer service levels by shortening the distance orders travel, compressing time in transit and reducing final mile delivery cost.

The definitive transaction agreements for Visible SCM were signed on June 28th. All regulatory approvals and closing conditions have since been obtained and/or satisfied and the parties successfully closed the transaction on August 2nd.

The company’s offering consists of labelling services, pick-ups, sorting parcels, linehaul and injection into the last mile delivery network of 100+ carriers, including full returns logistics, in 35 European countries. The B2C Europe transport management offering provides multi-carrier management tools and integrated track & trace capabilities. This provides B2C Europe customers with control, competitive costs and visibility across supply chains.

The proposed acquisition of B2C Europe will enable Maersk to further strengthen our value proposition to our customers by offering Europe-wide last mile delivery services with one simplified interface and the convenience of full control and visibility on all parcel deliveries. B2C Europe operates a network of pick-up, sorting, linehaul and last-mile injection capabilities to collect parcels at their customers’ warehouses and inject B2C parcels into all important European carrier networks. This activity will complement Maersk’s growing e-commerce logistics footprint in Europe and value proposition of integrated logistics in Europe.

The definitive transaction agreements were signed on August 5. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and the transaction is expected to close Q4, 2021. Until then, Maersk and B2C Europe remain two separate companies and thus will perform their business as usual.