Belgian Post Group acquires fulfilment firm Radial in a $820 million deal

Belgian Post Group (also known as bpost) has acquired the fulfilment company Radial, formerly known as eBay enterprise, in a $820 million in a bid to bulk up its operations in North America. This is a significant acquisition by bpost as Radial is Amazon’s largest competitor for fulfilment in the U.S., tapping into deliveries not just from huge retailers but hundreds of smaller businesses and startups, accounting for around 20 percent of all eCommerce orders that flow between the U.S. and E.U.

Van Gerven, CEO of bpost, commented that “I’m convinced that offering integrated and seamless e-commerce logistic solutions to our US and European customers will help them grow their businesses. The expertise and capabilities of Radial employees are a unique complement to bpost and will help us in becoming a leader in e-commerce logistics. I’m very happy to welcome all Radial employees to our bpost family”. The fulfilment firm has an annual revenue base of ~$2.9 billion, and has been on an acquisition spree in the last year and a half, buying several smaller delivery companies both in freight and last-mile delivery both in North America and Europe to expand its economies of scale. The acquisition list includes Freight Distribution Management, as well as more consumer-focused businesses like Matt’s Express and Apple Express.