DB Schenker’s buyers shortlist to be ready soon

ESSEN : Deutsche Bahn (DB) has received the first confirmatory bids for the sale of its logistics arm DB Schenker. Some of the companies that presented an offer include DSV, Maersk and MSC. Morevoer, equity firms such as CVC Capital Partners and Carlyle Group confirmed their bid of around 14 billion euros.

This new step comes after the first indicative offers were submitted in March. With the new confirmatory bids, the interested parties are taking the next step in the battle for DB Schenker. Next week, a shortlist of possible buyers should be defined by DB, as mentioned by Bloomberg. The four offers mentioned above might not be the only ones. For example, it is not yet clear whether Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, which expressed its interest last December, has submitted a confirmatory bid.

The sale of DB Schenker was officialised in December 2023. By January 2024, over 20 parties put their names in the hat, showing their interest in purchasing the German logistics giant. Danish shipping giant DSV, which partered up with French BNP Paribas and the British-Chinese credit institution HSBC, seems to remain the frontrunner. However, another Danish shipping hegemon, Maersk, said not to be counted out, despite claiming to taking a “very cautious approach”.