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Summary of our market study
The European freight transport market, heavily dependent on road haulage, was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Road haulage sales in France fell by 20% during this period.
The market recovered strongly after the pandemic
The market is stimulated by the growth of e-commerce, which is experiencing annual growth of over 13%. The market is adapting by increasing innovation in local delivery and last-mile logistics.
Demand trends in the French freight transport market
The French transport market is dominated by road haulage, with a significant share of 89%. The sector is highly competitive, but a limited number of companies generate a large proportion of the sector's revenues.
Domestic freight represents between 350 and 360 billion tonne-kilometres. International freight accounts for 37% of this figure. Manufactured goods lead transport demand, accounting for around a third of total goods transported, measured in tonne-kilometres.
The rise of e-commerce is reshaping the sector, with an average annual growth rate of around 10.5%. Parcel delivery services, which act as the link between digital marketplaces and customers, should see their delivery volumes increase in the coming years.
Road haulage remains the dominant mode, particularly for short-haul transport. While activity in tonne-kilometres fell, sales in the road haulage sector rose by around 15.5%.
Other forms of transport, such as river and rail, account for only 9% of the total volume of goods transported in France.
Key players
- UPS (United Parcel Service) Global parcel delivery giant
- FedEx is another iconic brand synonymous with express delivery and a pillar of global logistics.
- XPO a major market player.
- STEF expert in temperature-controlled logistics.
- Fret SNCF
- DHL Express
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market definition and presentation
Freight transport can be defined as the movement, from one point to another, of goods of any kind, whether by land, sea or air.
The European freight transport market has been growing in recent years: over the period 2016-2028, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.57%.
In France, the transport market was also growing until the arrival of the global pandemic, which took its toll on all market players. The bulk of business is captured by road haulage companies (89% in 2021), which benefit from greater flexibility than rail, sea and air transport. Yet the sector is highly competitive, with a minority of companies accounting for a large proportion of sales.
These companies are also under increasing pressure to evolve, particularly with regard to their local transport activities. The development of e-commerce, points of collection and the search for clean goods transport solutions within cities could definitively metamorphose the business.
There are also regulatory constraints, with fuel taxes remaining high and squeezing company margins.
The trend is therefore towards cleaner, more optimized solutions. The various forms of LTL(Less than Truckload, which means that the truck is not fully loaded, or is sometimes made up of several loads of different types) are growing fast, as they enable flows to be optimized, and river transport should continue to grow in the years to come, particularly in France.
1.2 The European market benefits from globalization
In ****, road freight traffic will be dominated (***) by five countries: Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland. Poland leads the way with a **.*% market share, while France is in fourth place, according to L'antenne, with a *% share.
Distribution of freight transport sales by mode of transport European Union, ****, in billions of euros ...
1.3 A fast-growing national market
It is possible to estimate the size of the freight transport market at around *** billion euros for the year **** according to Transport Achat, which uses figures from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition for ****.
The sector's growth is relatively sustained, exceeding *.*% on average every year since ****.
In France, most goods are ...
1.4 The effects of Covid-19 on the freight transport market
The graph below was produced using data from NAF code **.** - "Road freight transport" .
Road freight transport sales index France, ****-****, Base *** in **** Source: ****
We note a decline in road freight transport activity overall, most likely due to the Covid-** pandemic. When comparing the month of May **** with that of ****, we ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand by type of goods transported
In ****, domestic freight transport accounted for *** billion tonne-kilometres (***), a unit of measurement corresponding to the transport of one tonne over a distance of one kilometer. Foreign-flagged road haulage accounts for around **% of this total. [***]
In terms of goods, manufactured products are the most frequently transported in France. They account for around ...
2.2 Local delivery is changing
The freight transport sector has evolved in recent years, notably with the rise of local delivery services, whose sales have increased by **.*% between **** and **** (***)
Sales indices for road freight transport France, **** - ****, base *** in **** Source: ****
Last-mile logistics have undergone many changes, with the multiplication of home delivery services and the rise ...
2.3 The growth of e-commerce
E-commerce represents themost active demand segment today. The business model of these digital companies is based on shipping parcels to consumers, with products stored in large warehouses. The health crisis has played a major role in the explosion of e-commerce. [***]
With average annual growth of **.*%, e-commerce players should continue to benefit ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Road haulage still dominates
In ****, road haulage under French and foreign flag in France remains largely dominant compared to other means of transport. Some *** billion tonne-kilometres (***).
French-flagged road freight transport France, **** - ****, billion tonne-kilometers Source: ****
Despite a decline in activity in terms of tonne-kilometres, the road freight sector is nevertheless experiencing relatively significant sales ...
3.2 Other modes of freight transport are experiencing difficulties
The transport of goods by river and rail represents only *% of the total volume of goods transported in France[***].
Even before the health crisis, the number of tons moving through French ports was declining (***).
evolution of French port activity France, **** - ****, thousands of tonnes Source: ****
This is corroborated by the fact ...
3.3 A competitive but highly concentrated sector
Transport companies
The freight transport sector is highly competitive, since almost all the companies operating in the sector are micro-businesses. In contrast, more than three-quarters of sales were generated by large companies and ETIs in **** (***)[***].
Some *,*** companies, organized as a grouping of several legal units, generate over **% of the sector's ...
3.4 Real-time transport monitoring, a new competitive market segment
Strong market competition and high external costs make customer loyalty a key competitive challenge. In addition to customer commitment, quality customer care significantly reduces after-sales service costs for companies in this market. In this context, real-time transport data collection has become a competitive advantage. A number of start-ups have specialized in ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Products and/or services
It is possible to distinguish the offer of road haulage companies, which account for some **% of freight transport activity in France, from the rest of the companies.
The road hauliers' offer can be focused on two aspects:
Local land transport; Intercity transport (***).
Source: ****
Some trucks can be adapted to carry specific ...
4.2 Road transport costs continue to rise
The price of transporting goods generally depends on the volume and weight of the goods, the distance of the journey, and the mode of transport used (***).
Despite the difference in prices between the various players in the sector, it is possible to determine that recent years have seen an increase in ...
4.3 Fuel price trends
Fuel costs are generally costs on which carriers prefer to make savings. They represent around **% of external costs for road haulage companies, and are not negligible for air and sea carriers[***].
After a gradual rise in prices between **** and ****, prices stabilized in ****-**** due to the health crisis. as a result ...
4.4 Digitalization, ecology and progress in river transport
To facilitate savings in the freight transport sector, new digital platforms are being set up to optimize transport. Timocom, for example, has created a freight exchange platform, which pools the freight transport demand of several companies with freight forwarding companies[***].
A number of initiatives are also underway to achieve energy savings ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Freight transport regulations
Providers of public road haulage services are obliged to charge prices that cover fuel costs, road expenses, tolls and vehicle depreciation[***].
Prices must be set according to :
The services provided by the carrier; Thelength of time the vehicle is immobilized during loading and unloading; The time required to transport the freight; Fuel ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Martin-Brower France
- XPO Logistics
- FedEx
- Marfret
- Fret SNCF
- DHL International Express France
- UPS
- FM Logistics
- Jacky Perrenot
- Kuehne + Nagel
- DSV Panalpina
- Geodis
- Transalliance
- Hardis Groupe
- Lahaye global logistics
- Sinari Group
- Capelle Transport
- Ceva Logistic (CMA CGM)
- CTlog International (Cevital groupe)
- Coquelle Transport Groupe
- Transports Toussaint
- Transports Fatton
- Stef
List of charts presented in this market study
- Share of European countries participating in road freight traffic
- Breakdown of goods transported by mode of transport
- National inland transport by type of goods
- Sales indices in road freight transport
- Growth in e-commerce sales
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Latest news
DHL Express strengthens its presence at Lyon airport - 15/02/2024
- DHL Express is building a new 17,000 m2 sorting platform in Colombier-Saugnieu, in the Rhône region of France.
- - The investment for this new facility is 121 million euros
- - The new platform's processing capacity is estimated at 17,500 units per hour, which is ten times more than its current capacity.
- - DHL dominates the international transport market, with a 43% market share in France and worldwide for express parcels.
- - DHL's average annual growth rate over the last five years has been 8%.
- - The new Lyon hub will employ 300 people.
- - DHL's fleet comprises 300 aircraft.
CMA CGM acquires British logistics company Wincanton - 20/01/2024
- The cost of the acquisition of the UK company Wincanton by CMA CGM subsidiary Ceva Logistics was 660 million euros
Logistics: STEF strengthens its position in Northern Europe - 09/01/2024
STEF, the transport and logistics group specializing in food products, has recently made two acquisitions to strengthen its presence in Benelux. The company acquired Bakker Logistiek, the leading local player in temperature-controlled transport. Bakker Logistiek has 6 sites in the Netherlands, 1,400 employees and a fleet of 325 vehicles, with sales of 150 million euros. STEF has acquired TransWest, a Belgian company specializing in the transport and logistics of frozen products. TransWest has 500 employees and 150 trucks. By 2024, the Dutch, Belgian and British markets should generate sales of nearly 600 million euros for STEF. France is expected to generate around 58% of STEF's sales in 2024, with the remainder coming from neighboring countries. STEF's sales target for 2022 is 4.26 billion euros, with 22,000 employees and 273 platforms or warehouses.
Kuehne + Nagel significantly expands its Roissy logistics hub - 09/11/2023
- New warehouse for Swiss transport and logistics champion Kuehne + Nagel at Roissy-CDG airport
- The French market is Kuehne + Nagel's third largest European outlet, after Germany and the UK.
- The new Roissy import-export base employs 250 people
- At Roissy, the group is betting on pharmaceutical products, which account for 45% of volumes handled.
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