Press release: Purchase of Frigoscandia completed

Integration into the Dachser Food Logistics network begins

Kempten/Helsingborg, March 4, 2024 – Effective today, Frigoscandia AB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dachser and thus part of the logistics provider’s Food Logistics network. This also marks the start of the Scandinavian company’s full integration into the Dachser network. From now on, customers in the Nordic countries will benefit from uniform quality standards.

At the end of December, Dachser signed an agreement to acquire Frigoscandia, the leading provider of temperature-controlled and frozen logistics in the Nordic market, from private equity investor Mutares SE & Co KGaA. This will allow Dachser to expand its Food Logistics network to the Nordic countries. The acquisition was approved by the European Commission in February. With the acquisition process complete as of today, integration into the Dachser network can now begin.

“The acquisition significantly strengthens our position in food logistics in the Nordic region,” says Burkhard Eling, Dachser CEO. “For Frigoscandia, the integration into Dachser is an important step toward long-term and secure development in a dynamically growing company. Frigoscandia is an excellent fit for our business and our growth strategy in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Both companies share a common understanding of values and quality.”

Dachser is currently represented in the Nordics by European Logistics, its business line for the transport and warehousing of industrial and consumer goods, as well as by an air and sea freight organization. Frigoscandia, headquartered in Helsingborg, Sweden, has a close-knit and efficient network for the distribution of temperature-controlled and frozen food. The company offers transport services across Sweden through a nationwide network. For the fulfilment of these services the company cooperates with service partners but also has an its own truck fleet. In the area of international food transportation, Frigoscandia handles road, air and sea transportation, and is active in 51 markets.

In addition, the company operates warehousing with twelve logistics facilities in Sweden designed for the storage of food and three in Norway. In 2022, Frigoscandia generated sales of some EUR 300 million.

Trust in partnership

Since 2019, Frigoscandia has been a partner for Sweden, Finland, and Norway in the European Food Network, an association of leading European food logistics providers in 34 countries, which Dachser founded and manages as system leader. “The acquisition and subsequent integration of Frigoscandia is a milestone for us on our way to becoming a top player in the European food market,” says Alexander Tonn, COO Road Logistics and Managing Director Dachser Food Logistics at Dachser. “With Frigoscandia, we are integrating a well-known food logistics company that fully shares our understanding of performance and quality. For our customers in Northern Europe and Europe, this means even better access to a food distribution network where quality and reliability are paramount.”

Frigoscandia will continue to be led by CEO Peter Haveneth and his experienced management team. He reports to Alexander Tonn, who holds the dual role of COO Road Logistics and Managing Director Dachser Food Logistics at Dachser. “We’ve had a trusting and successful partnership with Dachser within the European Food Network since 2019. The acquisition is a logical step into the future for us, and so we’re looking forward to continuing to grow within the Dachser family. We’ll be strengthening our service offering and connecting the Nordic food logistics markets to Europe,” Haveneth says.

With the completion of the transaction, all of Frigoscandia’s approximately 1,300 employees will transfer to Dachser. “We’re delighted to welcome our new colleagues to the Dachser family,” Tonn says. “As highly trained employees, they will enrich our services with their knowledge of the Northern European markets. Our two companies have already worked together on a basis of trust in recent years as part of the European Food Network. This acquisition will enable us to further exploit our growth potential in Northern Europe and further improve the quality of our offering. In the medium term, our customers in the food sector will benefit from consistent and standardized processes and systems.” As Dachser Food Logistics does not have its own structures in Sweden, Finland, or Norway, the acquisition will not create any duplicate structures there. Overall, the number of Dachser employees in the Nordic countries will increase to around 2,000.