Geis Group Acquires Majority Shares in Quehenberger

The Geis Group is entering Quehenberger Logistics (Augustin Quehenberger Group GmbH) and is retroactively acquiring a majority of 66 percent of the business shares as of January 1, 2023. The remaining 34 percent is held by the previous majority owner Christian Fürstaller – he will continue to manage Quehenberger Logistics as CEO in the existing organizational structure with all employees. The two logistics companies announced this today in Vienna.

(Bad Neustadt/Vienna) The logistics service providers Geis and Quehenberger complement each other geographically and in terms of services almost perfectly. Both companies operate in related business fields but mostly in different countries. In addition to the core markets of Germany and Austria, the corporate group is strengthening its presence primarily in Central and Southeastern Europe. The logistical service offering for customers ranges from road freight transport to contract logistics to air and sea freight – including industry networks, e.g., for fashion, as well as other sophisticated industry solutions.
With around 10,000 employees at approximately 200 locations in 13 countries and a revenue of about 2 billion euros, the corporate group is advancing to become a leading logistics player in its markets.
Rudi Quehenberger, Rodolphe Schoettel, and Günter Thiel have fully divested their shares. Rodolphe Schoettel will remain in management as CFO of Quehenberger Logistics, as will COO Klaus Hrazdira.

The acquisition excludes the country organizations in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. These companies were spun off from the Augustin Quehenberger Group into a separate holding, CF Logistics, in 2022.

Longtime Friendly Companies

With the acquisition of the shares in Quehenberger, the Geis Group has made the largest acquisition in its corporate history. “We want to actively seize the interesting growth opportunities in the Southeast European market,” say Hans-Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis, managing partners of the Geis Group. “In addition to focusing on organic growth, we have discussed various options for acquisitions. Talking to a company we have been friends with for years about our goals was clearly the preferred option. Our companies have been working together for ten years. We know each other very well, have similar corporate cultures, and full agreement on strategic perspectives. Therefore, we are very pleased that this transaction has succeeded.”
Through the acquisition of the Quehenberger shares, the Geis Group has made significant progress in its strategy to achieve rapid growth not only in the markets it has served so far but throughout Southeastern Europe.

Quehenberger with Record Revenue

In the last 15 years, Quehenberger has developed rapidly. “In 2009, we acquired LKW Augustin with a revenue of 90 million euros,” explains Fürstaller, “a year later, we bought parts of the former Quehenberger Group and reintroduced the brand. Since then, we have seen steady growth. In the last year, 2022, we achieved a record revenue of around 650 million euros. In some markets, we hold a leading market position. In close coordination with the Geis Group, we will now leverage competencies and synergies to rapidly expand the business further.”

Consolidated Strength and Denser Network

Geis and Quehenberger will now combine their strengths and continue to improve their offerings. Within the corporate group, they will set the best benchmarks as standards for all processes.
Customers will particularly benefit from this: They will not only gain access to a significantly larger network that stretches from Luxembourg to the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. More importantly, they will receive modern, sustainable, and efficient logistics solutions along the entire supply chain, which Geis and Quehenberger will implement together with their customers as strong logistics partners. This also includes a high degree of digitization, the use of AI, and automation.

“In these areas, we can reduce investment costs through a joint approach in the future,” says Rodolphe Schoettel, CFO of Quehenberger Logistics. Quehenberger is considered a pioneer in the industry in digitization and automation, while the Geis Group has achieved a high level of efficiency and sustainability in its services – an optimal starting point for the future-oriented development of logistics.
“Our ambition to drive successful and sustainable strategic growth and to further develop the corporate value and effectiveness of the companies aligns 100 percent with that of the Geis Group,” says Schoettel.
“We are financially solid and independent, have quick decision-making processes in our medium-sized corporate culture, and offer our customers excellent logistical solutions on this basis,” summarize Hans-Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis. “Strong operational units, efficiency, quality, and lived sustainability are our common goal.”

Antitrust Authorities Must Still Approve

The transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities. The purchase price has been kept confidential.

Photo: © Geis / Image Caption: (l. to r.) Rodolphe Schoettel (CFO Quehenberger), Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis (managing partners Geis), Klaus Hrazdira (COO Quehenberger), Christian Fürstaller (CEO Quehenberger), as well as Hans-Georg Geis and Hans-Wolfgang Geis (managing partners Geis)