FM Logistic presents new strategy “Powering 2030”

Paris, 30 November 2021 – French-based logistics company FM Logistic today presented its new strategy ‘Powering 2030’ at a press conference in Paris. The strategy is designed to address profound changes in the retail industry and supply chain management, as consumers spend more online.

FM Logistic aims to double its revenue to €3 billion in 2030 by focusing on omnichannel supply chain services, urban logistics, sustainability, transport and customer experience. 

Addressing changes in supply chains in the light of Covid-19

COVID-19 has given a boost to omnichannel commerce, a multichannel approach to sales that focuses on providing seamless customer experience whether the client is shopping online from a mobile device, a laptop or in a brick-and-mortar store. According to Harvard Business Review, 73% of all customers use multiple channels during their purchase journey.

In the US, the State of Commerce Experience 2021 shows that almost half (44%) of B2C buyers and 58% of B2B buyers say they always or often research a product online before going to a physical store. According to Fevad, the French professional organisation for e-commerce, online retail sales in France will reach €130 billion in 2021, up 15% from 2020. Statista projects global online retail sales to reach USD5.4 trillion in 2024, up 26% from 2020.

The pandemic and the strong economic rebound have highlighted the crucial role played by logistics as well as the frailties of international supply chains, such as the over dependence on too few manufacturers, jammed ports and a shortage in truck drivers. Solving these challenges calls for more coordination and cooperation.

Sustainable development is both a global challenge and a prerequisite for signing new contracts, operating in cities and hiring new employees. 

“As we face profound changes in consumption patterns, our ambition is to help our customers build sustainable omnichannel supply chains. Therefore, our 9-year strategic plan puts customer experience and sustainability at the core of everything we do. This will be supported by investments in automation and the roll-out of additional services, such as automated pick-up points. We will also continue to explore solutions to environmental challenges, with the opening of green hydrogen stations at some of our logistics platforms,” said FM Logistic CEO Jean-Christophe Machet. 

60% of new contracts are for omnichannel logistics services

FM Logistic’s revenue increased organically by 10% (excluding FX) in the first half of fiscal year 2021/22 (April-Sept. 2021). The company won new contracts worth €166 million, more than in the entire fiscal year 2019/20 before the pandemic. Close to 60% of these new contracts are for omnichannel logistics services. 

In October 2021, the French cosmetics brand Yves Rocher awarded FM Logistic a contract for the order fulfilment and distribution of its products to retail stores and individual consumers in Poland and Hungary. FM Logistic has also expanded its e-commerce logistics contract with the German DIY retailer Bauhaus. In France, FM Logistic has won a contract from Maxi Zoo, a leading pet food retailer to manage e-commerce order fulfilment and distribution to 263 stores across the country.

To strengthen its omnichannel fulfilment capacity, FM Logistic will further expand its network of large multi-client warehouses. The company will open a new logistics centre in Wiskitki, Poland, in 2022. It will be located only 10 km from the future Solidarity Transport Hub (CPK).

In addition, FM Logistic will be investing in automation to support its e-commerce operations. The investment will include additional automated sorters, on-demand packaging machines that produce the right size box for any order, “goods to person” picking systems and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for moving pallets insides warehouses.

Urban logistics: Bringing products closer to consumers 

At the same time, FM Logistic is continuing to invest in its last-mile logistics infrastructure in selected cities, such as Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Warsaw.

In October 2021, FM Logistic’s subsidiary CITYlogin and Madrid’s Municipal Transport Company (EMT) opened a micro-fulfilment centre in the underground parking garage below Plaza Mayor, the Spanish capital’s main square. The 200-sqm facility enables CITYlogin to deliver consumer items in the city centre within 30 minutes to 2 hours. CITYlogin is using 10 electric three-wheelers from Scoobic, a Spanish company, to transport the parcels. 

In France, FM Logistic is aiming for 60% revenue growth in the urban logistics segment by 2023. On 25 November 2021, FM Logistic and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield opened a versatile automated pick-up point at the Westfield commercial centre in Vélizy-Villacoublay, south of Paris. Unlike parcel pick up stations, it enables customers to collect fresh food, frozen food, parcels and bulky items (such as skis or a bicycle) in one go. The service is available 24/7. It provides a click and collect solution for retailer chains (Auchan is one of the first users), as well as small, independent stores. 

FM Logistic will open a similar pick-up point in Paris in the first quarter of 2022.

Sustainable development: Series production soon for the ‘Ergoskel’ ergoskeleton

FM Logistic’s sustainability strategy revolves around three priorities: employee wellbeing, the environment and eco-efficient services. Several new initiatives are underway.

FM Logistic, the University of Technology of Compiègne (UTC) and Hublex, a French start-up, have signed an agreement for the series production of the Ergoskel, an ergoskeleton designed and patented by FM Logistic and UTC in 2019. The Ergoskel will be manufactured in France. Production and commercialisation will start in the first quarter of 2022. FM Logistic aims to equip 50 warehouse pickers and packers in the first quarter of 2022 and 600 by the end of 2023.

In the environmental area, FM Logistic is targeting carbon neutrality for all its warehouses by 2030. The company is planning to produce green hydrogen from the solar energy generated at its logistics facilities. 

In the first quarter of 2022, FM Logistic will inaugurate a first green hydrogen station at its warehouse in Illescas, Spain. It has a capacity of 45kg of hydrogen per week. The hydrogen will fuel forklifts and a delivery van. The initiative is receiving support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

IFM Logistic and Bouygues Energies et Services have teamed up to install an electrolyser in the Loiret region of France in 2022. It will have a capacity of up to 800 kilos of green hydrogen a day. The hydrogen will be partly used by the city of Orléans.

Transport

Transport stands for 36% of FM Logistic’s revenues globally and about one half in Central Europe. FM Logistic aims to sell more transport services to its warehousing customers. The goal is to provide customers with a comprehensive service along the supply chain of e-commerce. To that end, the company will be investing both in its physical network (fleet, cross-docking sites) and IT systems.

In September 2021, FM Logistic started operating more than 20 heavy-duty trucks running on Oleo 100, a French-made biofuel. The expected CO2 reduction on the selected routes is 65% compared with the diesel models used previously.

Organisational adjustments

FM Logistic is making some organisational adjustments to support the execution of its strategy. 

About FM Logistic

Supporting the development of sustainable omnichannel supply chains is at the core of FM Logistic’s strategy, as illustrated in its tagline: “Supply Change”. 

Founded in France in 1967, the family-owned company is one of the leading supply chain services companies in France and Europe, serving customers in the FMCG, retail, beauty and cosmetics, industrial manufacturing, and healthcare industries. 

Its services include warehousing, omnichannel fulfilment, co-packing, domestic and international transport, urban logistics operations, as well as supply chain control tower services. 

FM Logistic is active in more than 14 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It has annual revenues of about €1.4 billion and 27,200 FTE employees. 

For more information, visit us at https://www.fmlogistic.com/publications/, on Twitter @FMLogistic and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/fm-logistic/

Media contacts

Cyrille Gibot, FM Logistic. Tel: +33 6 459 99 158. Email: cgibot@fmlogistic.com

Albane Gringoire, Ogilvy. Tel: +33 7 860 33 700. Email: albane.gringoire@ogilvy.com