Purolator buys customs broker Livingston amid heightened trade uncertainty

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This article was published 04/02/2025 (306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Purolator Inc. has acquired Livingston International, one of Canada’s largest customs brokers, in a bid to boost its trade expertise in the Trump era.

The purchase, which closed Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, will allow one of the country’s biggest couriers help clients steer through shifting international rules and supply chains, said Purolator chief executive John Ferguson.

In an interview he acknowledged the instability brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian imports, but said demand for customs brokers will only rise as a result.

“Obviously it’s a significant issue and it’s created a lot of uncertainty,” Ferguson said.

“With uncertainty and trade complexity, these services that we’re bringing on are actually highly beneficial to our customers, because they have a significant trade consulting practice,” he said of Livingston.

“That is really going to be able to help companies that are trying to navigate all the tariffs and global re-engineering of supply chains.”

Some 30 per cent of Purolator’s business stems from cross-border deliveries, he noted, making it vulnerable to the potential tariffs and retaliatory duties on $155 billion worth of American goods announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend.

However, Ferguson said he believes trade between the two countries will rise in the coming decades, benefiting the Canada Post-owned company.

“I don’t see trade dampening in the long term, and we really are a long-term strategic investor.”

Livingston, based in Toronto, says it employs about 2,700 workers at more than 50 border crossings, seaports and airports across the continent as well as in Europe and Asia.

It was sold to Purolator by Platinum Equity, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm that bought the 80-year-old brokerage in 2019.

Livingston is Canada’s biggest customs broker and the fifth-largest entry filer in the U.S., Platinum said.

Ferguson said customs brokerages enjoy enviable client retention, describing them as “extremely sticky.”

“People look at their customs brokers like they do their doctors, (who) they really depend on.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2025.