Chicago tech investment firm Thoma Bravo said Tuesday that it agreed to acquire WWEX Group, a parcel and freight services logistics provider headquartered in Dallas. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Bloomberg reports that the deal values WWEX at $5 billion, which is the amount of revenue the Dallas-based company reported for 2025.
Kirkland & Ellis provided outside legal counsel to Thoma Bravo and its Auctane portfolio company that was known as Stamps.com prior to Thoma Bravo buying the company in July 2021. Latham & Watkins advised WWEX Group and CVC Capital Partners, a European PE firm and part of the investor consortium selling WWEX that also includes Providence Equity Partners, Ridgemont Equity Partners and PSG.
Charlene York is the chief legal officer and general counsel at WWEX Group in Dallas.
Thoma Bravo said it plans to fold WWEX Group into Auctane, forming a “global technology company empowering businesses with intelligent shipping and fulfillment solutions through trusted products such as ShipStation, Stamps.com, Metapack and Packlink.”
Thoma Bravo Partner Brian Jaffee said it is a pivotal moment for the logistics industry.
“Auctane’s category-defining shipping software and WWEX Group’s scaled parcel and freight service offerings create an integrated solution with the data, distribution and volume necessary to help customers drive smarter decision-making and superior execution across the logistics lifecycle,” Jaffee said. “Together, we believe the company is uniquely positioned to define the next generation of AI-enabled logistics.”
Auctane CEO Al Ko said the merger creates “the most powerful end-to-end logistics ecosystem in the market, one that will redefine what’s possible for modern shippers.”
The companies expect the deal to close by June 30. JPMorgan Securities and Morgan Stanley are the lead financial advisors to WWEX Group with Goldman Sachs and UBS Investment Bank also advising.
The Latham & Watkins team was led by New York partners Paul Kukish, Michael Vardanian and Matthew Villar with associates Joseph Maurantonio and Morgan Banaszak.