Yorkshire-based Clipper 玩嘉电竞 Group, the leading provider of retail and high-value logistics, has seen a major extension of its presence in continental Europe, thanks to the recent acquisition of the trade, assets and distribution operations of the Bestaendig Group in Germany.
Clipper has seen significant organic growth in its UK operations, with an average annual growth rate of over 15% over the last seven years. A number of strategic acquisitions in the UK have taken Group revenue to over £200million. Clipper operates from 22 sites across the country, servicing the needs of a range of retail and industrial businesses, including many household brand names such as New Look, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis and Morrisons.
A re-branding exercise earlier this year, coupled with a focussed ongoing business development programme has resulted in an exceptionally strong business pipeline. In addition, recent new contract wins with major supermarkets will add over £20 million to annualised revenues over the coming months. This will clearly establish Clipper as the market leader in the provision of e-fulfilment services to support online retailing.
Clipper’s acquisition of the Bestaendig Group enables them to provide a pan-European offering, with the ability to service markets in Germany, France, Austria, Spain, the Benelux countries and Poland.
The Bestaendig Group provides logistics services to an enviable range of blue chip customers in Germany, predominantly in the retail sector. It recently ran into short-term difficulties following a strategic decision by a key customer to re-source its logistics operations. However, its core customer base has remained loyal through a brief period of administration, when the annual turnover was €55m, which has culminated in Clipper’s acquisition of the trade and assets of the business.
The new business will trade initially from six sites across Germany, with the headquarters based in Gochsheim near Wurzburg. These six strategic locations provide the capability to service the whole of Germany from day one and will trade as Clipper Bestaendig 玩嘉电竞 GmbH.
Steve Parkin, Clipper Group CEO, said yesterday, “The acquisition of the Bestaendig Group provides us with the capability to service the needs of both pan-European organisations, and our existing UK client base who have plans to expand into Europe. The European market is posed for significant growth in e-retailing, and our experience in the UK will allow us to effectively capitalise on those opportunities. The acquisition is a clear demonstration of our ‘agility matched by ability’ proposition, and is merely the start of significant expansion plans in Europe, which will be enhanced by further strategic acquisitions that we are currently working on.”
