Kuehne + Nagel – Statistics and Facts

Konrad Wolfenstein

6 years ago

Kuehne + Nagel – Image: Karolis Kavolelis|Shutterstock.com

Kühne + Nagel International AG is one of the highest-revenue logistics companies in Europe and operates worldwide. Founded in Bremen in 1890 by merchants August Kühne and Friedrich Nagel as a maritime trading company, Kühne + Nagel has since relocated its headquarters to Switzerland and expanded its activities to encompass the entire logistics sector. The majority shareholder of the publicly traded company, listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, is the founder's grandson, Klaus-Michael Kühne.

Worldwide, the company generated sales of approximately 25.3 billion Swiss francs in 2019, accompanied by a net profit of 800 million Swiss francs. Kühne + Nagel's activities are primarily focused on Europe, with its original "home market" of Germany continuing to hold particular importance. Despite the company's broader focus, maritime freight remains its most profitable segment. EBIT in the sea freight division grew to 456 million Swiss francs in 2019. The results of the land transport and contract logistics segments also improved in 2019. However, the EBIT of the air freight division declined by 26 million Swiss francs compared to the previous year, mainly due to a sharp drop in demand.

The company weathered the global economic and financial crisis well overall. After a brief downturn in 2009, both sales and revenues, as well as equity, were stabilized and increased.