The Japanese logistics giant has made a major acquisition of a Canadian logistics company and increa
- Author:Maintenance network
- Source:Maintenance network
- Release Date:2026-04-28
On April 21, Japanese logistics giant Nippon Express officially announced that it had completed the signing of a wholly-owned acquisition agreement for Canada’s Metro Supply Chain Group.The two parties had finalized the relevant terms of the share purchase on April 17, which was also the largest merger and acquisition transaction in the history of Nippon Express Group's development.
This transaction gives Metro Supply Chain Group a basic valuation of 1.8 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to approximately 207 billion yen (approximately 8.9 billion yuan).
At the same time, a payment model of basic purchase price and performance gambling is adopted. If the target company reaches the preset core financial indicators in the future, Nippon Express will pay an additional up to CAD 400 million, and the overall transaction consideration can be up to CAD 2.2 billion.
According to the plan, the acquisition will be completed between July and December 2026. It still needs to pass antitrust review in Canada, the United States and other relevant countries, and it can be officially implemented after passing it.
For Nippon Express, this acquisition is a key step in its 2030 global network strengthening strategy.
With the existing layout of Metro Supply Chain Group, Nippon Express will quickly make up for its shortcomings in the contract logistics field in North America and directly acquire 43 warehousing sites in 12 core cities in North America, with a total area of more than 2 million square meters.
At the same time, it obtained a cross-border transportation fleet covering the US-Canada border, including 300 new energy trucks, which helped increase its North American contract logistics market share from less than 5% to 18%, significantly strengthening its end-to-end logistics service capabilities.
The two parties will realize real-time data exchange in order processing, inventory warning and other aspects. They also plan to jointly invest CAD 500 million in the next three years to build automated sorting centers in cities such as Toronto and Chicago, and introduce Nippon Express's automatic guided vehicle technology, with the goal of increasing warehousing efficiency by 40%.
In terms of team management, Nippon Express decided to retain the original core operating team of Metro Supply Chain Group and appointed current CEO Marc Bédard as president of the newly formed North American Contract Logistics Division. It will continue to use the mature model of localized operations with headquarters resource support to ensure a smooth transition and continued growth of the business.
Nippon Express hopes that through this acquisition, it will accelerate its global layout and move towards its long-term goal of becoming the world's most influential logistics company by the centenary of the group's establishment in 2037.
At the same time, relying on Metro Supply Chain Group's customer and resource advantages, it will strengthen its service capabilities in core areas such as automobiles and retail, and strive to achieve revenue in the North American market exceeding 500 billion yen by 2027.
As of now, Nippon Express ranks seventh in the 2026 global freight forwarding sea freight list with a cargo volume of 1.81 million TEU, and fourth in the air freight list with a freight volume of 930,000 tons.
After the completion of this acquisition, the competitiveness of its global logistics network will be further enhanced.
This transaction gives Metro Supply Chain Group a basic valuation of 1.8 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to approximately 207 billion yen (approximately 8.9 billion yuan).
At the same time, a payment model of basic purchase price and performance gambling is adopted. If the target company reaches the preset core financial indicators in the future, Nippon Express will pay an additional up to CAD 400 million, and the overall transaction consideration can be up to CAD 2.2 billion.
According to the plan, the acquisition will be completed between July and December 2026. It still needs to pass antitrust review in Canada, the United States and other relevant countries, and it can be officially implemented after passing it.
For Nippon Express, this acquisition is a key step in its 2030 global network strengthening strategy.
With the existing layout of Metro Supply Chain Group, Nippon Express will quickly make up for its shortcomings in the contract logistics field in North America and directly acquire 43 warehousing sites in 12 core cities in North America, with a total area of more than 2 million square meters.
At the same time, it obtained a cross-border transportation fleet covering the US-Canada border, including 300 new energy trucks, which helped increase its North American contract logistics market share from less than 5% to 18%, significantly strengthening its end-to-end logistics service capabilities.
The two parties will realize real-time data exchange in order processing, inventory warning and other aspects. They also plan to jointly invest CAD 500 million in the next three years to build automated sorting centers in cities such as Toronto and Chicago, and introduce Nippon Express's automatic guided vehicle technology, with the goal of increasing warehousing efficiency by 40%.
In terms of team management, Nippon Express decided to retain the original core operating team of Metro Supply Chain Group and appointed current CEO Marc Bédard as president of the newly formed North American Contract Logistics Division. It will continue to use the mature model of localized operations with headquarters resource support to ensure a smooth transition and continued growth of the business.
Nippon Express hopes that through this acquisition, it will accelerate its global layout and move towards its long-term goal of becoming the world's most influential logistics company by the centenary of the group's establishment in 2037.
At the same time, relying on Metro Supply Chain Group's customer and resource advantages, it will strengthen its service capabilities in core areas such as automobiles and retail, and strive to achieve revenue in the North American market exceeding 500 billion yen by 2027.
As of now, Nippon Express ranks seventh in the 2026 global freight forwarding sea freight list with a cargo volume of 1.81 million TEU, and fourth in the air freight list with a freight volume of 930,000 tons.
After the completion of this acquisition, the competitiveness of its global logistics network will be further enhanced.