Thoma Bravo Agrees Deal to Buy Logistics Provider WWEX Group

Bloomberg
Ryan Gould
March 3, 2026

Thoma Bravo has agreed a deal to acquire third-party logistics provider WWEX Group Inc. and merge it with an existing portfolio company.

The private equity firm plans to combine WWEX with Auctane Inc., an e-commerce shipping software maker, according to a statement Tuesday that confirmed a Bloomberg News report.

Thoma Bravo is buying WWEX from a consortium including CVC Capital Partners Plc, Providence Equity Partners, Ridgemont Equity Partners and PSG. Financial details were not disclosed.

The deal values WWEX, which includes the Worldwide Express brand, at almost $5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. The combined WWEX-Auctane business will be worth as much as $12 billion, they said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

The transaction allows Thoma Bravo to bring together the two Texas-based logistics and shipping technology companies at a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the sector, helping firms cut costs by automating warehouse and back-office tasks while sharpening demand forecasts.

Bloomberg News reported in December that Thoma was in talks to acquire WWEX and combine it with Auctane, formerly known as Stamps.com. Thoma agreed to take what was then Stamps.com private for $6.6 billion in 2021.

CVC and other existing WWEX investors will roll over a portion of their equity in the company and retain a significant minority position in the newly-combined entity, according to Tuesday’s statement.

Describing itself as the world’s largest software-focused investment firm, Thoma Bravo has assets under management of more than $181 billion, with over 75 companies currently in its portfolio, its website shows.

Private equity firms that invest in software have found themselves on the back foot in recent weeks amid concerns that AI tools from the likes of Anthropic PBC and OpenAI will permanently upend ways businesses can grow. Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei has expressed a desire to partner with, rather than displace, established software companies.

The WWEX transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal adviser to Thoma Bravo and Auctane. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley are serving as joint lead financial advisers to WWEX. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and UBS Group AG are also acting as financial advisers to WWEX.