Dear Business Partners,
We would like to inform you that on Thursday, 28 May 2015, PKP Cargo acquired control over the AWT Group. The transfer of sharesagreement between BMM group, previously the majority shareholder in AWT, and the rail freight transport provider group PKP Cargo, was signed subsequent to the preceding agreement on the sale that was concluded at the end of 2014. In the meantime, the transaction has been approved by the relevant competition authorities in Slovakia, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. A minority shareholding in the AWT Group of 20 percent remains in the hands of Minezit SE. PKP Cargo has concluded a shareholders’ agreement with Minezit SE that entitles possibility of the remaining shares redemption.
AWT thus becomes a part of PKP Cargo Group, an integrated logistics operator and the second biggest provider of rail freight transport in the European Union. This strategic partnership presents us with an immense growth opportunity. Both groups not only share a similar structure of offered services; they are also connected via railway networks that benefit from advantageously positioned terminals located along major transport routes on the continent. Gaining access to the strengths and creditable reputation of PKP Cargo – a company that devotes its fundamental business strategy to logistics, especially rail transport and its development – will enable us to offer our business partners an even broader range of services across a significantly expanded territory. We are prepared to realise all the potential that this union creates for our future development in the railway and logistics business.
We are confident that the step we are taking signals the start of a very successful era in terms of our operation. The role and importance of rail transport continues to grow. It is a trend that is expected to extend far into the years ahead. We are now in a position to support this growth, gain new experiences and practically utilise these experiences in our expansion across Europe.
This transaction does not affect our mutual business relationship in any way. All previously concluded contracts and orders between us remain valid and there is also no change when it comes to our cooperation. We appreciate your trust in us as well as the created business relationship, something which we aspire to maintain and develop further. We know that PKP Cargo will fully support us in this respect. We have every reason to believe that you will appreciate the impacts of this transaction as a move in the right direction, benefit from it to fully exploit your own business development opportunities.
Kind regards
David Prchal
Chief Executive Officer of AWT
PKP Cargo group, established in 2001, is Poland’s biggest rail freight transport provider while it is the second largest in the EU. The company provides a broad portfolio of logistics services in rail, road and sea shipping. The group runs an average of 1,000 freight trains per day, providing transport services not only across Poland but also in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Its transport performance reaches 114 million tonnes of cargo, with revenues of EUR 1,1 billion. The PKP Cargo group also includes specialised companies, such as Cargosped (intermodal transport), PS Trade Trans (rail forwarding) and PKP Cargotabor (rolling stock maintenance and modernisation). PKP Cargo has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 2013. The majority shareholder in the company is PKP S.A.
