Rhenus takes over BLG Freight Forwarding Sites and opens up new markets

Rhenus Air & Ocean is consolidating its position in Germany with the planned takeover of the freight forwarding business of the logistics company, BLG International Forwarding GmbH & Co KG. Rhenus is using the acquisition to tap into new business fields and is making its global network available to the BLG Group. Provided that the cartel authorities approve the development, Rhenus will acquire nine air and sea freight sites on April 1, 2021. The nine freight forwarding sites operated by BLG International Forwarding with about 100 employees are due to be integrated within the existing network of Rhenus Air & Ocean in Germany, which currently has twelve branches, from the beginning of April onwards. They include business sites in Hamburg and Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart as well as Munich. This will enable the company to handle greater volumes through its LCL gateway in Hilden and its air freight hub at Frankfurt, for example. “We’ve gained a strong partner in Rhenus Air & Ocean and it’s making available its extensive network to our customers thanks to its global presence,” says Jens Wollesen, the Contract Board Member at BLG LOGISTICS. “BLG is strategically adapting to changes in market conditions through the sale of our freight forwarding business. Even if we’ll no longer be represented right across Germany in terms of freight forwarding in future, we’ll continue to provide extensive international services in our Contract, Automobile and Container divisions.”
“We’ve paved the way for the continual expansion of our air and sea freight activities during the last few years. Thanks to the additional business sites, employees and business activities, we’re consolidating our network in the Air & Ocean division in Germany. We’d also like to develop new lines of business like transporting food using reefer containers and activities in the trade fair and event logistics sector,” says Stefan Schwind, Managing Director of Rhenus Air & Ocean Deutschland.
The BLG freight forwarding site in Bremen, which focuses on overland traffic, transporting heavy goods, project business and sea freight, is excluded from the takeover.