Aramex strengthens African network with Kenyan acquisitions
Aramex has expanded its presence in Africa with the “significant” acquisition of two Kenyan companies.
The acquisitions of OneWorld Courier and In-Time Couriers will help Aramex establish a strong presence in one of Africa’s key markets, the company said.
OneWorld Courier is a Kenyan courier and freight operator that serves its domestic market, whilst In-Time Couriers is a Nairobi-based domestic delivery firm established in 1995.
Aramex said the acquisitions underscore the company’s commitment to “expanding its footprint in emerging markets, including strengthening its coverage in Kenya and the wider East Africa region”.
“We are extremely pleased to announce these two significant acquisitions in Kenya, which position Aramex to introduce its full suite of products and services to the wider East Africa region,” said Hussein Hachem, Aramex CEO for Middle East and Africa.
“Aramex continues on its accelerated expansion drive in a range of emerging markets, particularly in Africa and Asia, and looks forward to making further announcements in this regard throughout this year,” he added.
In December, Post&Parcel reported that Aramex had announced a series of strategic acquisitions and partnerships in Turkey, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
This, together with today’s announcement, illustrates that Aramex “is building a more geographically robust network capable of providing comprehensive logistics and transportation services,” a statement said.
Samer Gharaibeh, Aramex CEO for Africa, said: “Aramex has firmly established a reputation for operational reliability and customer service excellence in all the markets it serves.
“Following the acquisition of OneWorld and In-Time, we are now well positioned to extend the full range of Aramex services across Kenya, East Africa’s transport hub, and from there to regional and international markets.”
Now the company aims to launch a broad range of logistic solutions in Kenya.
The enhanced portfolio will include third-party logistics centres in Nairobi and Mombasa, international and domestic express delivery, freight forwarding, secure records and information management solutions, and e-services such as e-commerce solutions and Shop&Ship, the company’s online shopping delivery service.
Gharaibeh added: “The opportunities in Kenya, which has an open-market economy and liberalised external trade system, are clearly tremendous.
“Our planned third-party logistics centre in Mombasa will improve the replenishment cycles for our international customers and significantly reduce the time needed to deliver their products to markets in East Africa.
“Kenya has a large domestic consumer base and is located in close proximity to key markets in the Middle East and Africa, offering connectivity to fast-growing East African nations such as Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.
“We strongly believe that these acquisitions will provide us with a strategic foothold in a market that also serves as a bridge between East Africa and Asian markets such as China and India, leading to a significant, sustained contribution to Aramex’s global operations.”
