Ceva Logistics, owned by the shipping line CMA CGM, has entered exclusive talks to buy the France and Iberia operations of Paack, a Barcelona-based parcel delivery company. The deal would add 82 facilities and more than 5,000 pickup and dropoff points to Ceva's last-mile unit, Colis Privé.
For retailers shipping into Europe, the deal points to a future where one company handles the whole journey. This includes the ocean crossing, warehousing, and final delivery. It simplifies operations but also increases reliance on a single provider.
The terms: The talks are exclusive but not final. The deal still needs regulatory approval and, in France, approval from the works council. Neither company disclosed a price.
Paack’s Iberia business generated €125 million in revenue last year and its France business €49 million. Ceva said both are now profitable on an operating basis. Combined with Colis Privé, the operation would top €550 million in revenue.
The bigger move: This is the latest step in a broader push by ocean carriers to buy their way onto land. Together, the deals top $22 billion in about four years.
CMA CGM bought FedEx's supply-chain unit for $1.4 billion and Ingram Micro's commerce arm for $3 billion
Maersk bought LF Logistics for $3.6 billion
DSV bought Schenker for €14.3 billion
Most of those acquisitions added warehouse capacity. Paack would add the final delivery leg, which is usually handled by national postal services and parcel specialists.
The catch: FedEx is going the other way. It sold the supply chain unit CMA CGM just bought so it could refocus on its core parcel network.
CMA CGM is building the end-to-end logistics network that FedEx is dismantling. It is also buying assets that once belonged to FedEx to do it.
What's next: Any final agreement will still need regulatory approval. Ceva recently named former FedEx Logistics president Patrick Moebel as its chief executive.
