SIFA is a maritime and air transporter of goods. It remains a family-owned business which has engaged M&A strategy supported by MBA Capital, one of our French partners.
The SIFA and HESNAULT family groups are getting closer
The SIFA Group, supported by MBA Capital, is thus strengthening its network in the Pacific and Oceania.
A new acquisition for SIFA, specialized in multimodal freight transport to overseas territories.
The SIFA family group, created in 1951, initially specialized in the importation of West Indian fruits into mainland France (SIFA meaning Franco-Antillaise import company). It then expanded rapidly, specializing in and from overseas destinations, with a global reach. It is today one of the leaders in goods transport in these regions and a trusted logistics partner in all international territories.
With 700 employees, SIFA supports more than 30,000 customers via its network of 34 agencies around the world and has achieved a turnover close to 400 million euros in 2023. This buyout operation is part of a strengthening of the SIFA group, which recently acquired Alpha Transit, active in the Antilles and particularly in Saint-Martin, and which is also targeting other acquisitions.
The coming together of 2 family groups
After advising the Ile-de-France family transport and logistics group during the acquisition of Alpha-Transit in 2023, MBA Capital continued its mission alongside SIFA to carry out merger operations in perfect coherence with the ambitious strategic plan of the Band. This time, it is the HESNAULT Group which has caught the attention of SIFA, due to the synergies and opportunities that this merger offers.
“In this competitive process, it was necessary to put forward extra-financial arguments beyond traditional negotiations, while thinking about the industrial project of the new group. Structuring the transaction also took a lot of energy with legal advice.” - Bertrand Dufay, MBA Capital Paris.
Founded in 1962, HESNAULT is a freight forwarder and customs broker that offers tailor-made solutions to importers and exporters to move their goods around the world. Since its creation, the Group has specialized in the organization of goods transport in the Pacific zone including the territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia by opening agencies in New Caledonia and Tahiti, before expanding to Reunion Island and then to Mayotte through the companies Calédonie Transit, Tahiti Transit, Medexeno, Réunion Transit, and Transit Mahorais. To date, the Group has more than 5,000 active customers served particularly by its three operational sites in Sandouville (10,000 m²), Le Havre (4,000 m²), and Roissy CDG (8,500 m²). With approximately 250 employees, it achieved more than 180 million euros in turnover in 2023 (148.5 million euros in turnover for the historic HESNAULT Group and an estimated 34 million euros in turnover for the Aqua Air Group).
An acquisition that strengthens the SIFA network in the Pacific and Oceania zones
The complementarity of the networks establishes SIFA’s presence in the Pacific and Oceania zones. Overall, this new entity aims to become the facilitator of its customers' import/export flows, with overall control of the value chain. With around 950 people in its historic destinations, this new group is dedicated to supporting customers, in particular by increasing overall capacity for “Door To Door” services and by pooling significant investments in logistics and IT. Note that the Group is also significantly increasing its capacities in Australia and New Zealand, with around fifty AQUA AIR employees.
“For this acquisition, I had a fairly clear vision of the type of player that would allow us to continue to develop the story of SIFA, both by increasing capacities, the value chain and by pooling certain resources. As a player responsible for freight transport in Overseas and internationally, we wanted to integrate into our scope a Group which extends our strengths thanks to a community of values and complementary expertise. The HESNAULT family Group corresponds perfectly to this ambition and the planned development plan will strengthen our positioning both in terms of services and geographical scope.” - Christophe de Reynal, Managing Director of SIFA TRANSIT.
Philippe Hesnault, President of the HESNAULT Group adds, “I am very happy that the HESNAULT Group is continuing its history by joining the SIFA Group. For all of the HESNAULT teams and for our customers, it is the best choice because we share the same family values, the same corporate and entrepreneurial culture, and have the same vision of our businesses in each of our preferred destinations. This merger is a solid and powerful alloy that will benefit our customers.”