(Berlin, December 15, 2022) The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) has assigned DB AG's Management Board the task of examining and preparing the case for a potential sale of up to 100% of its shares in DB Schenker. Decisions as to the categorical initiation of a divestment process and the form any sale may take will be made separately at a later date.
Pursuant to today's Supervisory Board resolution, proceeds from a sale of DB Schenker would remain in Deutsche Bahn Group (DB Group) in its entirety and be put toward considerably reducing DB Group's debt, among others.
Selling DB Schenker would further sharpen DB Group's focus on its Strong Rail strategy and on DB Group's core business. The objective of the Group strategy, which was launched in 2019, is to shift traffic to environmentally friendly rail, in both passenger and freight transport, and to expand the rail infrastructure in Germany.
With record profits, DB Schenker has made a significant contribution to DB Group's economic growth over many years. In the medium term, however, DB Schenker will require larger financial resources and more independence to make international acquisitions with a view to retaining and enhancing its market position in the ever more competitive logistics sector and its enterprise value in the future. For this reason, a sale could open up new opportunities for DB Schenker in terms of growth and development.
DB Schenker's position as a global market leader makes it attractive for buyers and investors. In the light of the economic challenges being faced worldwide and current uncertainty on the capital markets, DB Group does not want to rush a possible sale of DB Schenker. A starting date for a specific divestment process is dependent on the overall situation and not yet decided. A sale shall only take place if it is of financial advantage for DB Group compared to keeping DB Schenker in DB Group.
DB Schenker is a very successful business both operationally and financially. In these times of problematic supply chains, DB Schenker has proven that it is a reliable provider for its customers in Europe and worldwide. In the first half of 2022, DB Schenker generated EUR 1.2 billion in operating profit, the best mid-year EBIT in the company's 150-year history.
With some 76,100 employees at over 1,850 locations in more than 130 countries, DB Schenker is one of the world's leading logistics providers. DB Schenker operates land, air and ocean transport services and offers comprehensive solutions for logistics and global supply chain management from a single source.