South Africa: Vuna Partners acquires 80% stake in logistics company
Vuna Partners Fund I, managed by Vuna Partners, announced its acquisition of an 80% equity stake in 4PL Group, with the remaining 20% shareholding held by the management of 4PL Group.
Headquartered in Pretoria, 4PL Group is an integrated supply chain company with a national and international footprint, providing end-to-end logistics solutions that span specialised and bulk road, rail, sea and air freighting, import/export clearance and forwarding, crossborder services, warehousing, tracking and reporting technology. 4PL Group’s 260-strong team are responsible for the transportation of more than 240,000 tonnes of cargo per month, servicing over 450 clients with a fleet of owned and subcontracted vehicles.
The fund is acquiring its equity stake from the Mergon Group, which has served as 4PL’s investment partner since the company was founded 13 years ago. “We enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Mergon under the stewardship of its chief operating officer, Gauche Radley,” said Brendan Pearson, CEO of 4PL Group. “We are now embarking on the next chapter of 4PL’s journey together with Vuna Partners, with whom we anticipate a future of transformative, empowered growth, sustainable expansion into new markets and long-term mutual success.”
“4PL has reported consistent revenue and operating profit growth over the medium-term period, despite facing significant economic headwinds. The high quality of its earnings, impressive return on invested capital, and its experienced founding management team with strong capital allocation discipline, has made 4PL Group an attractive investment for the fund. The enhanced empowerment credentials afforded by the fund’s investment also advances 4PL Group’s transformation goals,” said Siya Nhlumayo, CEO of Vuna Partners.
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