Global law firm Freshfields has guided Nippon Express Holdings, Inc. (‘Nippon Express’) to the closing of its acquisition of SH HoldCo GmbH (‘Simon Hegele’), a German-based logistics provider with a global footprint and over 35 target companies for healthcare, industrial and retail clients. This all cash deal for 100% of the shares of Simon Hegele from private equity firm EMZ Partners and current and former management-affiliated entities was signed on 30 September 2024. The transaction was announced in September 2024, and closed on 3 February 2025 following the receipt of regulatory approvals.

Nippon Express is one of the largest logistics companies in the world. The company began working as a logistics provider more than 80 years ago and its global network, headquartered in Japan and today comprising over 900 locations, allows it to seamlessly connect the world through its advanced logistics services. The company has continued to expand its global operations in recent years through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, including its acquisition in January 2024 of the global logistics group Cargo-Partner, based in Austria, and consisting of approximately 63 target companies around the world, for a total consideration of up to €1.4bn, which Freshfields also advised.

Simon Hegele has over 50 locations across Europe, the Americas and Asia.  The company has particular strengths in contract logistics using its state-of-the-art technology to provide logistics and adjacent services to a variety of clients globally, with a particular focus in Germany.  This transaction allows Nippon Express to further strengthen its overseas operations, especially in Europe, and expand into the healthcare sector where Simon Hegele has significant expertise in.

The international Freshfields team advising on the transaction was led by Global Transactions partners Tomoko Nakajima (Tokyo) and Philipp Pütz (Düsseldorf) and included Vasco Ollero (Hamburg) and Arnold Itagaki (Tokyo), both as lead associates, and associates Henri Conze, Anna Eichner (both Düsseldorf) and Burak Firat (Berlin). Kaori Yamada (Tokyo) is the lead partner on antitrust issues. Philipp Redeker (Düsseldorf) is the lead partner on tax matters. The transaction leads are supported by a large, multidisciplinary team spanning Freshfields offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S.