Brenntag closes acquisition of African distributor Desbro Group

Brenntag has completed the acquisition of the chemical distribution business of Desbro Group in Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Completion of the acquisition of Desbro Group in Tanzania and Uganda is expected to take place in the following weeks. The acquisition agreements were signed in September 2018.

Desbro Group, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, is one of the largest and long-standing distributors in East Africa. Established in 1954, Desbro Group is privately owned and managed by Suman Sennik and his family. Desbro Group represents more than 50 world-class manufacturers of chemicals and offers a broad portfolio of commodities and specialty chemicals to diverse strategic customer industries in East Africa and the Middle East, including oil and gas, plastics, coatings & construction, textile, water treatment, and life sciences. 

“With Desbro we have acquired a leading and well-respected market player. The company provides us the needed market expertise, organization, and infrastructure to build on our strategy to claim outstanding Africa coverage. Combined with Brenntag’s knowhow and existing product and supplier portfolio we will create an overall presence and offering in both Africa and the Middle East,” said Karsten Beckmann, member of the Board of Management of Brenntag Group and CEO of Brenntag Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Headquartered in Essen, Germany, Brenntag operates a global network with more than 530 locations in 74 countries and a global workforce of more than 16,000 employees.