Geis acquires majority stake in Quehenberger

• Joint turnover of around two billion euros
• Quehenberger's brand, management and organisation remain unchanged
• Excellent prospects - further growth planned

Vienna, 3 May 2023: The Geis Group is acquiring a majority stake of 66 percent in Quehenberger Logistics (Augustin Quehenberger Group GmbH) with retroactive effect from 1 January 2023. The remaining 34 percent will be held by the previous majority owner Christian Fürstaller - as CEO of Quehenberger Logistics, he will continue to run the business in the existing organisational form and with all employees. This was announced by the two logistics companies today in Vienna.

The logistics service providers Geis and Quehenberger complement each other almost perfectly in terms of geography and performance. Both companies are active in related business areas, but for the most part in different countries. In addition to the core markets of Germany and Austria, the group of companies is consolidating its presence in Central and South-Eastern Europe in particular. The logistics services offered to customers range from road freight transport and contract logistics to air and sea freight - including industry networks, e.g. for fashion, as well as other sophisticated industry solutions.

With a total of around 10,000 employees at around 200 locations in 13 countries and a turnover of approximately EUR 2 billion, the group of companies is becoming a leading logistics player in its markets. Rudi Quehenberger, Rodolphe Schoettel and Günter Thiel have sold all of their shares. Rodolphe Schoettel will remain in the management as CFO of Quehenberger Logistics, as will COO Klaus Hrazdira. The national organisations in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are excluded from the takeover. These companies were spun off from the Augustin Quehenberger Group into a separate holding company, CF Logistics, in 2022.

Desired partnership with a clear goal: growth

With the acquisition of the shares in Quehenberger, the Geis Group has made the largest acquisition in the company's history. "We want to actively utilise the interesting growth opportunities in the South East European market," say Hans-Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis, Managing Partners of the Geis Group. "In addition to focussing on organic growth, we have therefore discussed various options for acquisitions. Talking about our goals with a company we have been friends with for years was clearly the favoured option. Our companies have been working together for ten years. We know each other really well, have similar corporate cultures and are fully aligned in terms of strategic perspectives. "We are therefore very pleased that this transaction has worked out."

The acquisition of the Quehenberger shares has enabled the Geis Group to take a major step forward in its strategy of realising rapid growth not only in the markets it has served to date, but also throughout South Eastern Europe.

Quehenberger with record turnover

Quehenberger has developed rapidly over the last 15 years. "In 2009, we took over LKW Augustin with a turnover of 90 million euros," explains Fürstaller, "a year later we bought parts of the former Quehenberger Group and relaunched the brand. Since then, we have recorded steady growth. In the last year, 2022, we achieved record sales of around 650 million euros. We maintain a leading market position in some markets. In close coordination with the Geis Group, we will now use our expertise and synergies to rapidly expand the business."

Best of Both: Combined strength and denser network

Geis and Quehenberger will combine their strengths in future and continue to improve their offering. This is because they will set the best benchmarks as the standard for all processes within the group of companies. This will benefit customers in particular: Not only will they gain access to a much larger network that stretches from Luxembourg to the Black Sea and from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. Even more important are modern, sustainable and efficient logistics solutions along the entire supply chain, which Geis and Quehenberger implement together with their customers as strong logistics partners. This also includes a high degree of digitalisation, the use of AI and automation.

"In these areas, we will be able to reduce investment costs in the future by working together," says Rodolphe Schoettel, CFO of Quehenberger Logistics. Quehenberger is considered a pioneer in the industry when it comes to digitalisation and automation, while the Geis Group has achieved a high level of efficiency and sustainability in its services - an ideal starting point for further developing logistics in a forward-looking manner. "Our ambition to successfully and sustainably drive strategic growth and further develop the company's value and effectiveness is 100 per cent in line with that of the Geis Group," says Schoettel. "We are financially sound and independent, have fast decision-making processes in our medium-sized company culture and offer our customers excellent logistics solutions on this basis," summarise Hans-Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis. "Strong operating units, efficiency, quality and sustainability in practice are our common goal."

The transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

About the Geis Group
The Geis Group, headquartered in Bad Neustadt, Franconia, has developed into a global full-service logistics provider with around 6,600 employees since it was founded in 1945. The family-run company is now managed by the second and third generation and offers its customers a full range of logistics services, from traditional lorry transport to global air and sea freight and complex logistics services. In 2022, the Geis Group generated a turnover of around 1.3 billion euros. The company currently operates 125 locations in seven countries: Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland and Luxembourg.Over one million square metres of logistics and handling space are currently available. Further information: www.geis-group.com

About Quehenberger Logistics
Quehenberger Logistics is a full-service logistics provider and specialist for integrated sector solutions for industry and trade with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Today, the owner-managed, medium-sized company based in Straßwalchen near Salzburg employs 4,050 people (1) at 69 locations in 11 countries (2). Digitalisation and automation are at the heart of the quality-oriented corporate strategy. Further information: www.quehenberger.com

(1) Annual average 2022 incl. temporary workers
(2) Excluding the organisations Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan

Geis Group press office:
STROOMER PR | Concept GmbH - Rellinger Str. 64 a - 20257 Hamburg
Christian Stephan - E-Mail: christian.stephan@stroomer.de - Phone: +49 40 853133 16

Your contact at Quehenberger Logistics:
Klaus Hrazdira, Tel.: +43 50145 55011, presse@quehenberger.com
COO | Gewerbegebiet Nord 5, 5204 Straßwalchen, Austria