UPS cancels deal for Estafeta

An Estafeta delivery van makes a stop on its route in Jalisco, Mexico, on March 29, 2024. (Shutterstock/JRomero04)

UPS said Thursday it has ended plans to acquire Mexican express delivery and logistics company Estafeta because the companies were unable to satisfy all closing conditions.

The Atlanta-based parcel giant disclosed the turn of events in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“We remain committed to growth in Mexico and delivering the reliable service our customers expect,” a UPS spokesperson said in an email response. 

UPS announced the deal in July 2024 and said it expected to close on it by the end of the year.

CEO Carol Tomé told analysts during the company’s July 29 earnings call that efforts to acquire Estafeta were taking longer than expected to clear regulatory and pre-closing conditions.

UPS had said the deal allowed it to take advantage of Mexico’s growing role in cross-border trade as manufacturers relocate from China to be closer to the U.S. market and to minimize geopolitical and tariff impacts associated with U.S.-China tensions. 

So far this year, UPS has conducted more than 600 supply chain mapping assessments to help customers evaluate reshoring options, the CEO said.

Mexico City-based Estafeta provides truckload, less-than-truckload, freight forwarding, distribution and customs brokerage services, in addition to express parcel delivery. 

The companies said the combination would help customers in Mexico with small package, healthcare logistics and contract logistics services. Mexican shippers would gain better access to global markets, while UPS customers would have more efficient access to Mexico. 

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com