bpost acquires Belgian activities of Lagardère Travel Retail

As part of its growth and diversification strategy, bpost has agreed to acquire the Belgian activities of Lagardère Travel Retail. Lagardère Travel Retail operates about 220 points of sale in Belgium, which are located at sites including train stations and airports. Its brands include Press Shop and Relay. The company also distributes newspapers and magazines to more than 5,000 points of sale (and this is a business sector in which bpost already plays a role).

The Belgian postal operator believes there can be significant synergies between Lagardère’s retail and delivery network and its own parcel distribution activities.

bpost said that it intends to “invest in this growing business, open more points of sale, diversify its service offering to customers (commuters, passengers, online shoppers, readers) and continue to enlarge its pick-up point network to offer its customers a wider range of services and parcel delivery options”.