Logistics

Delivery is now an essential service

Rungis International Market is customers increasingly ask suppliers to deliver. Logistics has therefore become an essential activity for the Market, rendered even more necessary by the growth of exports.

Many Parisians have no doubt already observed this trend, particularly in the early hours of the morning. It is now quite common to see trucks bearing a Rungis address in the streets of the capital. In fact, we estimate that Market companies rent or own about a thousand delivery vehicles.

Local service

In addition to the companies specialized in logistics (26 in storage or platforms, 49 in carriage and handling), 303 companies at the Market offer shipping services, 396 are equipped to deliver in the Paris region, and 280 all over France.
The Market’s clientele increasingly demands these kinds of services. Restaurant owners, and now a growing number of retailers, ask suppliers to deliver products directly to the point-of-sale, because of time constraints, traffic problems, transport savings and many other reasons.

An asset for exports

While delivery is an increasingly essential service that the Market must provide, the sharp rise in sales beyond its boundaries, particularly abroad, now makes this service mandatory. Although hard to compile from customs and excise statistics, exports represent roughly 10% of sales by Market operators, and this percentage will undoubtedly rise.

So proximity to Orly airport is a major asset for Rungis, particularly since Aéroports de Paris is currently expanding its freight capacity. In fact, 85% of French fresh produce shipments by air come from the Market, representing over 38,000 tons.

Although this type of transportation should increase, the volume remains relatively low for more fragile products. While road transport remains the largest in terms of volume (over 200 million tons of perishable foodstuffs in France every year), rail freight is growing steadily, particularly between the north and south of France. This solution, possibly combined with road transport, might be the best for long distances and large volumes (full trains).

A complement to the market

The new rail terminal scheduled to open in 2009 will give Rungis Market an annual freight capacity of 340,000 tons, or the equivalent of 7,500 less lorries. However, the development of the Market's logistics asset should not become a threat to the traditional whosale, which still requires lots of events and special promotions at point-of-sale and a better welcome in every way.