CMA CGM has completed its $1.4bn takeover of FedEx's contract logistics business, FedEx Supply Chain, the Marseille-based carrier announced today.

The acquired operation will be folded into Ceva, CMA CGM's contract logistics arm. The deal nearly trebles Ceva's North American footprint, according to CMA CGM. The addition of roughly 34m sqft of warehouse space gives Ceva combined operations across 150 warehouses in the region, employing around 20,000 staff.

The completion marks another step in CMA CGM's strategy of building a logistics business to sit alongside its container shipping operations. For Ceva, the transaction transforms its scale in North America — a market where contract logistics capacity, particularly in e-commerce fulfilment and warehouse-based services, has become a key competitive battleground.

For shippers, the near-term effect is continuity: FedEx Supply Chain's warehouse and contract logistics operations transfer to a new owner with deep balance-sheet backing and an established global logistics platform. Over time, Ceva's enlarged North American base gives CMA CGM an expanded land-side offering to bundle with ocean freight — a proposition the carrier has pushed as it seeks to capture more of the end-to-end supply chain spend that traditionally sits with forwarders.

For FedEx, the divestment sheds an asset-heavy logistics unit as the company sharpens focus on its core parcel and freight delivery networks. The $1.4bn price tag reflects the scale of the operation changing hands: 34m sqft of space and a workforce of around 20,000 across 150 sites.

The deal also reshapes the competitive picture for third-party logistics providers in North America. Ceva moves from a mid-sized player in the region's contract logistics market to one with a warehouse network comparable to the largest incumbents, and the integration of roughly 150 facilities will be the test of whether the combined entity can convert footprint into margin.

Integration now moves to execution. CMA CGM has signalled the enlarged Ceva network will anchor its push deeper into contract logistics, with the carrier expected to leverage the combined 34m sqft platform to win more integrated ocean-and-warehousing business from shippers looking to consolidate providers.