Aramex to sell 60% stake in JV with Australia Post

dubai — Aramex has announced that its board of directors has approved to sell its 60 per cent stake in its joint venture with Australia Post, Aramex Global Solutions (AGS), to Australia Post, for $20 million.

The decision to sell came as a mutually agreed transaction that will allow both organisations to independently execute their strategic growth in the booming global e-commerce industry.

In 2016, Aramex and Australia Post partnered to create AGS to serve as an e-commerce delivery platform, with a particular focus on connecting the Australian ecommerce market with sellers in Asia. Aramex currently owns the majority of the joint venture, with a 60 per cent stake and the remainder 40 per cent is held by Australia Post.

Upon completion, the divestment will not have any impact on Aramex revenues since the JV was only accounted for on equity basis. However, it will incur a one-off write-off of $13 million for Aramex, which will be reflected in the company’s Q4 2018 financial results.

“The divestment will not affect our e-commerce growth strategy. The global e-commerce market continues to grow at a strong rate, transforming our industry and presenting huge opportunities for us to expand our business in our target markets. We will continue to tap this growth by enhancing our last mile delivery solutions and further improving service levels through investments in technology and digitisation,” said Bashar Obeid, CEO of Aramex.