Bolloré Logistics is on the
acquisition trail and expects,
by the end of the year, to be
offering end-to end-logistics
solutions through an owned
distribution company.
That’s the word from
managing director East
& Southern Africa, Tony
Stenning, who told FTW that
the company would be focusing
on growth through acquisition,
and that more advanced
distribution services would be
a key element of this growth.
It currently outsources its
distribution leg.
Recently rebranded from
SDV to Bolloré Logistics, the
new name is in line with the
rebranded global identity,
confirming the commitment of
long-standing shareholder, the
Bolloré Group, to the transport
and logistics sector.
“We need to add value to
our overall business so we’re
looking at distribution through
the acquisition of companies
that have a strong international
client base – either in the
forwarding or transport sectors.
And because of the weak rand
we believe it’s a good time to
buy,” said Stenning.
Linked to this is a strong
focus on more high-end
warehousing. The company
recently moved into a new
20 000-sqm facility in Pomona.
And this is a continent-wide
focus. “We have a big budget
this year for warehouses all over
the continent,” he said.
And while he acknowledged
that 2015 had been a tough year
and that we could expect more
of the same for the rest of this
year, he said Bolloré Africa had
already recorded 10% year-onyear
growth for the first five
months of 2016.
“We have a strong project
business, we’re doing well with
our cross-border business, and
we’re growing our presence
in the SA market. Growth
has largely been from South
Africa to the rest of Africa
with some good account
acquisitions locally.”
And Africa will continue to
be the focus of the company,
despite the commoditiesdriven
slowdown.
“Oil and gas and mining are
substantial for us but there’s a
good cross-section of different
activities on the continent
so there’s still an appetite for
products and services from
South Africa.
“We have been on the
continent for a long time and
we have knowledge unrivalled
in South Africa. We can also
deal with the complexities of
the logistics business and are
willing to take the necessary
risks to provide value-formoney
logistics services.”
Commercial director SA,
Botswana, Namibia, Zambia,
Dave Bester, agrees that it’s
the company’s long history
in Africa that makes the
difference.
“Because of South Africa’s
low growth, a number of SA
companies are looking for
growth across the borders, and
a company like Bolloré, which
has a very long history in
Africa and a strong asset base,
makes it the ideal company to
work with.”
“Several international
companies have over the past
two decades jockeyed for
position in Asia. This market
has now become saturated
and they are also pushing
into Africa and looking at
more sophisticated logistics
solutions, particularly in
East and West Africa – and
they want to deal with
companies that have strong
assets and a strong knowledge
base on the continent.”
CAPTION
Tony Stenning and Dave Bester … 10% year-on-year growth
for the first five months of 2016.
Comments | 0