French logistics group Norbert Dentressangle is to buy U.S.-based Jacobson Companies from private equity fund Oak Hill Capital Partners in a deal worth $750 million aimed at giving it critical mass in the United States. The global air, sea and land transport group said the transaction was on a debt-free and cash-free basis with a capped earn-out - extra rewards for the seller relating to future performance. It will be funded through Norbert Dentressangle reserves and available credit lines and is expected to close mid-September. Norbert Dentressangle CEO Herve Montjotin said the purchase was part of the family-controlled group's aim to become a top player in global supply-chain management. The acquisition of Des Moines, Iowa-based Jacobson, which runs 3 million square metres of warehousing across 142 sites in the United States and a fleet of 350 tractor units and 1,225 trailers, will add $800 million dollars to revenue to reach some $6.8 billion. It will make the French group "scalable" in the fast-growing U.S. logistics and transport market, Norbert Dentressangle said. The Dentressangle family owns 67 percent of the business. (Reuters)