Hamburg, Stuttgart, June 3, 2022 –

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Süd Beteiligungen GmbH (SüdBG) from Stuttgart acquires shares in Sovereign Speed Holding GmbH, Hamburg, and will support its continued growth. The current shareholders, Karim El-Sayegh and Martin Araman, will remain significantly involved in the company. Frank Liebelt, the long-standing CEO, will also join the shareholder group as part of the transaction. The partners have agreed to keep the details of the transaction confidential.

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Founded in 1998, the Sovereign Speed Group is a unique B2B premium provider of urgent freight services in Europe. The integrated service portfolio includes, in addition to the core business, a fixed-scheduled European overnight network (“Airline on the Road”), as well as various express and handling services along the logistics value chain. With around 770 employees at 14 locations across Europe, the company generates a turnover of over 100 million euros.

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Expansion of the market-leading position in Europe

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Together with SüdBG, Sovereign Speed plans to further expand its market-leading position in Europe by providing reliable, economical, and comprehensive logistics services. The value-added initiatives, such as the sustainability initiative #ourwaytozero, the familial employee culture, and the strong spirit of innovation, will continue to be promoted and strengthened.

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Karim El-Sayegh and Martin Araman, the two founders, explain: “In recent months, we have intensively and carefully driven the necessary steps for the future of the company. With SüdBG, we have found the right partner who specializes in the long-term support of medium-sized companies and will assist with strategic development through their extensive experience. Together, we have developed a solution that preserves proven structures while ensuring continuity in management.”

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Consistent continuation of the growth strategy

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Frank Liebelt adds: “With SüdBG as a strong partner in the Sovereign family, I am looking forward to working with the team to continue our growth strategy, focusing on expanding into new regions and services, growing our customer network, and strengthening our integrated service approach.”

Gunter Max and Alexandros Kozas from SüdBG add: “We are investing in a market-leading medium-sized company that is positioned as a true value-added partner for solving critical supply chain challenges. We are impressed by the consistent customer focus, flexibility, and intelligently developed service portfolio, and we look forward to implementing the further growth strategy together with the entire Sovereign team.”

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About Süd Beteiligungen GmbH (SüdBG)

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SüdBG is a 100% subsidiary of Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and has been supporting medium-sized companies for over 40 years with tailored equity and equity-related solutions in the areas of succession planning, growth financing, and shareholder changes.