TNT has bought Brazilian express operator Expresso Mercúrio and plans to use it to develop its integrated South American road express network. It predicts that the Brazilian domestic express market will grow by 10 to 15 per cent.
Last year, TNT sold its logistics division to to Apollo Management, and its freight management division to Geodis, freeing up cash to invest in its express operations.
Recent purchases include: Indian company Speedage Express, Hoau, a domestic freight and parcels haulier in China, a Boeing 747-400ER freighter and an expansion programme with a customer contact centre, three new depots, a fashion clothing distribution centre and an archiving facility.
Mercúrio has a 15 per cent share of the Brazilian express market and sales of some £127m. It has 101 depots and 2,044 vehicles.
TNT chief Peter Bakker said: “Combining Mercúrio’s domestic road network with TNT’s international air and road network capacity is an embodiment of TNT’s Focus on Networks strategy.
“With Mercúrio we acquire the leading domestic express network in the third of the four BRIC ( Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries in the space of little over 12 months.”
