3i and management sell Transports Alloin to Kühne + Nagel

3i, an international leader in private equity, today announces that it has sold its stake in Transports Alloin to Swiss company Kühne + Nagel, a world leader in logistics.

In 2006, 3i took a 28.5% stake in the family owned business based in Villefranche-sur-Saône, near Lyon. 3i subsequently designed a structure that enabled Jean-Louis Alloin to take control of the company with 53% of the shares, with the management holding 18.5%.  

3i has a strong track record in the transport and logistics sector and has provided this distribution group specialising in packages from pickup to delivery, and offers a choice of standard, rapid and express delivery across France with the benefit of its network and its on-the-ground expertise in order to optimise both growth and profitability. In two years, turnover grew by nearly 50% to almost €300 million, while the number of employees rose from 2,300 to 3,000.  

With the acquisition of Transports Alloin, Kühne + Nagel adds to its European network. In its business areas, Transport Alloin will be the Swiss group’s leader in France.  

According to 3i partners Denis Ribon and Laurent Savinelli, “Transports Alloin has shown that it is able to generate profitable growth in this sector, which is very capital intensive and has tight margins. The fact that it is joining one of the European leaders shows that its strategic positioning has been correct”.   

Jean-Louis Alloin, who will retain his position as chairman of the group in the new entity, said: “We are very happy to be joining an international group like Kühne + Nagel. We are sure that our clients will value this new structure and will benefit from the expansion of our range of services”.

Xavier Urbain, a member of Kühne + Nagel’s executive committee, added: “Expanding our overland logistics business in France is essential to our European development and Alloin gives us a strong position in that important economic area”.  
This transaction remains subject to the approval of the EU competition authorities.

The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of January 2009.