FS Group’s acquisition of Exploris finalised

FS Group‘s acquisition of Exploris has been finalised. Now FS Group is the second largest logistics operator in Germany. 

TX Logistik AG, a subsidiary of Mercitalia Logistics, has finalised the acquisition of Exploris Deutschland Holding GmbH Hamburg, a European rail freight company, thus becoming the second largest rail freight operator in Germany.

After the preliminary contract was signed last July, the transaction was finalised following clearance from the relevant antitrust authorities.

“Our playing field does not stop at national borders but extends across Europe,” commented Carlo Palasciano, Chief International Officer at Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group (FS).

“Closing this deal takes us much closer to establishing the role that the Logistics Business Division is carving out for itself as a European logistics operator. We have embarked on a path of growth to increase the volume of goods transported by rail thanks to increasingly effective connections to the national network and the European rail corridors, consolidating the integration of sea-rail-road transport systems and providing a competitive alternative to road transport throughout Europe.”

With the closing of this agreement, the Logistics Business Division has now a footprint in 11 countries, also through Exploris companies, including Via Cargo, HSL Logistik and Delta Rail, thereby strengthening the FS Group‘s presence in the European market by enriching traffic to and from Italy, also benefiting the import and export services of Italian industry.

Exploris’s international rail connections, strongly oriented towards east-west transport, complement the network of TX Logistik, which already has a strong presence along the north-south European axis. The network of services offered by Exploris is spread over 8 countries (Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Switzerland), with 12 direct connections. In addition, the company offers shunting services in Germany and Poland and has its own training centre for personnel.

The acquisition is part of the strategy of the FS Group through Mercitalia Logistics to become a system operator on a European scale, adopting a structured approach to intercept international freight flows, expanding the network, and activating new synergies. The transaction allows the Logistics Business Division to further develop its international business, integrating the two German companies, which together have a turnover of around 500 million euros and a total workforce of over 1,000, bringing the Business Division’s total personnel in Europe to over 6,000.

Thanks to this agreement, Mercitalia Logistics further strengthens its presence in Germany, the leading country for freight flows in Europe with approximately 386 billion tonnes moved by rail in 2022 (source Destatis), a country where the market share of goods travelling by rail is as high as 19%, compared to 11% in Italy and an EU average of 17%. In addition, the countries where Exploris operates account for 34% of Italy’s imports and 26% of its exports.

The FS Group considers Europe to be its home market, in which it is operationally active through various companies. It is present in the high-speed market in France with Trenitalia France and in Spain with Iryo, in Greece with Hellenic Train through urban, suburban, and medium- and long-distance connections, in Germany with Netinera, a regional passenger operator, in the UK with c2c and Avanti West Coast, in the Netherlands with Qbuzz, a road transport operator, and in the logistics sector with TX Logistik. Outside Europe, it has long been operating in the fields of engineering and certification. The development of the international strategy envisages an increase in Group revenue from 1.6 billion euros posted in 2021 to around 5 billion euros in 2031.