Alantra advises Groupe Sterne on the acquisition of Nox NachtExpress

Feb 2022

Buy-side advisory & Debt advisory

Paris – Alantra, the global investment banking and asset management specialist, is pleased to announce that it has advised Group Sterne (“the Company”), a leading French provider of critical logistics services, on the acquisition of Nox NachtExpress, a key player in overnight premium express delivery services in Germany. The newly created group will become a leading European provider of overnight critical logistics services.

Founded in 1972, Groupe Sterne has established itself as a key European player in sustainable transport and premium multi-service logistics with a strong historical presence in France and a growing geographical footprint in Europe and Asia, with a network of quality partners. In addition to its well-established transport and overnight delivery services, the Company has developed three complementary service solutions to better serve its customer base (time-critical, urban and express daylight delivery, and aftermarket), as well as a best-in-class digital platform. In 2021, Groupe Sterne delivered strong results with €270 million of turnover.

Nox NachtExpress is a leading European player in overnight express delivery services with a market presence in Germany, Austria and the Benelux regions. The company operates more than 20 warehouses throughout Germany, employs around 1,000 people and delivered 280 million euros of turnover in 2021.

The newly created group will comprise over 80 warehouses in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, providing a diverse service offering to more than 6,000 shippers. The group will employ more than 2,200 people globally, providing ample resources to serve more than 100,000 customers a day through 3,000 delivery trips.

The transaction will be completed during the second quarter of 2022, subject to the approval of the relevant administrative and regulatory authorities.

Fabrice Scheer, Managing Partner of Alantra, commented: “The merger of Groupe Sterne with Nox NachtExpress is an exciting new step for both groups and will establish a pan-European leader in the sustainable and premium logistics segment. We are delighted to have supported Groupe Sterne one more time, after advising the Company on its partnership with Tikehau Capital in 2021. These transactions build on Alantra’s expertise on the business services sector.”