Primever, France's leading fresh produce logistics provider, extends its global offering

The Primever group now has 3,000 employees, 1,500 trucks and more than 60 sites in France, Belgium, Holland, Scotland, Italy and Spain. With the acquisition of Transports Mesguen last March, the group continues to strengthen its leadership in the transport and logistics of fruit and vegetables in France, as well as its expansion in Europe. Based in Brittany and Scotland, Tranports Mesguen now complements the Group's existing structure, adding 120 trucks and 7 sites, including 1 in Scotland. The Group's 60 sites represent more than 200,000m2 of covered space divided between 35 cross-docking platforms, 100,000m2 of warehouses dedicated to transport, and another 100,000m2 of covered space for logistics (storage, picking, co-packing, etc.). Primever's organisation in France is divided into 8 regions: Bretagne, Nord, Ile de France (including Rungis, Troies and Orleans), Atlantique, Sud-Ouest, Roussillon, Provence and Rhone-Alpes.

Developing a global offering

The group continues to develop its logistics offering outside France, more recently with freight forwarding, customs clearance and industrial transport services. Primever's fleet now includes 10% of non-refrigerated trucks. Since November 2023, the group has also been operating at the Terminal Fruitier in Sète, for the logistics of overseas products and large-scale exports. "We are responding to our customers' requests and becoming a logistics operator for storage, ripening and order preparation for imported products such as lychees, pineapples, bananas and avocados, which are off-season products", explains Julien Garnier, the group's CEO.

60 sites and 3,000 employees

Specialising in transport and logistics for the fruit and vegetable and industrial sectors, the Primever group has its origins in the Lot-et-Garonne region, where René Tombu set up the Société Agenaise de Transports et d'Affrètements Routiers (SATAR) in 1963. Two generations later, Julien Garnier took over from his father Rémy Garnier as Chairman and Gérard Malaure as Managing Director. The Primever Group was created in January 2020 through external growth across France. A family history that today employs 3,000 people at nearly 60 sites in France, Europe and abroad. The Primever Group is positioned at the heart of the value chain between producers (cooperatives, shippers) and distributors (supermarkets, wholesalers, specialists). The group organises the transport and logistics of temperature-controlled fruit and vegetables and general industrial goods at ambient temperature.

Sustainable development: CSR approach

Primever was a pioneer in ecological transport when it created its own "Etic Company" label in the 1990s. The label engages Primever with reducing its carbon emissions per kilometre travelled through a wide range of actions, such as training drivers in 'eco-driving', building high-performance warehouses to RT2020 standards, installing the latest generation of photovoltaic panels on each site, installing IRVE electric vehicle charging stations, adopting in-house charters of good practice, a sustainable water supply for vehicle washing tunnels, and tailor-made landscaping to preserve the ecological balance.

Find out more about Primever's CSR policy here (reseau-primever.com).