Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market 2025–2034

Reports Description

As per the current market research conducted by the CMI Team, the Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market is expected to record a CAGR of 15.29% from 2024 to 2033. In 2024, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 86.55 Billion. By 2033, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 290.37 Billion.

DB Schenker is the dominant player with 1,540 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and 1 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), followed by Petit Forestier Group — 1000 BEVs. Companies like Einride, DFDS, and VPD in the chase up behind also demonstrate substantial commitment and movement, but they have limited information details.

Others, such as Hyundai-H2 Energy Partners, benefit a little bit more because they are claiming their associated BEVS or FCEVs due to their association with mail power partners. These numbers show a trend of logistics providers and their distribution/service asserting a continual desire to reduce pollution by adopting electric replacement vehicles into completely new fleets, existing or already.

Additionally, this suggests a higher level of transition towards a more responsible future for providing sustainable transportation solutions within the European cold chain and logistics markets.

Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market – Significant Growth Factors

The European cold Chain Logistics Market presents significant growth opportunities due to several factors:

• Rising Demand for Perishable Goods: With the rising health-conscious habits, consumers want more fresh, organic, and minimally processed food, driving cold chain logistics across Europe. Whether it is fruits, vegetables, dairy products, or seafood, the need for reliable cold-chain storage and transportation for perishable goods is increasing, which helps the market grow.

• Economic Factors: Economic stability and rising disposable income across many European countries have significant implications for cold chain logistics market growth. As consumers begin to purchase premium and imported perishable goods, there is a need for advanced cold-chain practices. Additionally, economic recovery in Europe has increased investment in cold chain logistics and infrastructure, which will positively influence the market. It could help revitalize various sectors that experienced challenges due to the pandemic.

• Technological Advances: Technological innovation is explained as smart logistics: advancements, including IoT-enabled tracking systems, automated warehousing, and energy-efficient refrigeration technology are all revolutionizing the cold chain logistics market. Improvements in cold chain logistics mean consumers can have better visibility, especially in direct-to-consumer markets. Investing in technology means that temperature-sensitive products are monitored in real time and help maintain quality while adhering to restrictive legislation regarding safe consumption. The demand for smart logistics increasingly attracts notable companies to invest in their European cold chain practice.

• Environmental Awareness: As environmental concerns are more popular and the EU enacts regulations that limit emissions and energy consumption, companies are committed to environmental sustainability at a level that may drive sustainable cold chain practice. Companies can use eco-friendly methods to improve their carbon imprint by using environmentally friendly refrigerants, energy-efficient vehicles for transportation, or sustainable materials for packaging. But this emergence to meet consumers with sustainability in mind is mostly driven by demand for green logistics.

• Demographic Change: Consumer trends and demographics like an aging population and a collective rise in the middle class influence consumption patterns of perishable products, including fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, and convenience foods across Europe. These demographic changes are driving consumer demand in cold chain logistics. The middle class wants brands and retailers to deliver safety with perishables products regardless of work and lifestyle communities- this is more crucial than ever.

• Infrastructure Development: Significant investments in cold chain infrastructure, including the development of refrigerated warehousing, transportation systems, and even port infrastructure, will improve efficiency and increase capacity across cold chain logistics throughout Europe. This infrastructure investment is key to supporting the growing demand for perishable products and additional cold chain logistics needs across Europe.

• Regulatory Compliance and Standards: Strict European regulations on food safety, pharmaceuticals storage, and sustainability of the environment are leading logistics markets towards the cold chain. No business can take a chance with regulatory compliance, and any penalties as a result of non-compliance related to an incident is a deep concern to a business due to product integrity. The emphasis on regulating the observation of compliance leads to responsible access to new technologies and processes and will foster growth in this new logistics market.

Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market – New Launches and Acquisitions

The Europe cold chain logistics market has seen several new launches and acquisitions in the last few years. Some of the well-known mergers and acquisitions in the Europe cold chain logistics market include:

• In August 2024 Constellation Cold Logistics acquired Agri-Norcold A/S, a value-added cold storage provider, which is, therefore, the new player in the Danish market. This acquisition gives Constellation Cold Logistics more strategic footing in Northern Europe and makes it stronger within the European cold chain sector and, therefore, in Denmark.

• in May 2024, Maersk opened a cross-dock facility in Europe. This facility will expedite and improve supply chains in the region, supporting a good flow of goods, quick dissemination of goods, and limiting transit time for temperature-sensitive products. Also, it helps in Improving logistic capabilities in Europe.

Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market – Significant Threats

Europe’s cold chain logistics are susceptible to a series of threats and including:

• Economic Uncertainty: Economic volatility, for instance, economic recession or economic disaster, may severely affect the European Cold Chain Logistics Market. An economic recession or economic depression reduces consumers’ consumption of premium products and imports, and reduced demand may be a likely scenario in the Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market for cold storage and transport services of perishable items. Budget constraints might also affect investment in infrastructure for the cold chain and technology upgrades.

• Supply Chain Disruptions: Unforeseen factors, which comprise the pandemic, geopolitical tension, and transportation workers’ strike, to mention just a few of them, are likely to significantly affect business supply chains concerning the smooth delivery of time-sensitive and temperature-sensitive freight. Companies may end up losing orders due to stock spoilage resulting in loss for the company in addition to additional costs incurred to provide an efficient customer service delivery. Given this risk, companies should devise novel strategies to come up with resiliency to counter those risks adequately.

• Regulatory Change: Changes in regulatory facets concerning food safety, drug storage, or environmental rules can significantly impact the cold chain logistics market. New regulations would mean testing investments, and companies can also be asked to fit their operations to more critical norms, which may prove to be costlier to them and may exert forces on logistics. If Organizations fail to meet these norms, their business may be sealed with fines or shut.

• Competitive Pressure: Competition in the Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market is supplemented by the entrance of international logistics companies and new participants who bring new technology into the field. Companies beginning to participate in this arena are incorporating advanced technologies such as automation and IoT into their processes, putting a lot of pressure on established players who rely on conventional logistics. For this reason, companies are constantly under pressure to evolve.

• Infrastructure Limitations: Cold chain infrastructure constraints – refrigerated warehousing, connectivity to transportation, etc. – may deter market growth. Infrastructure constraints could lead to inefficiencies, higher price points to preserve margin and cost. They may not ultimately be able to supply additional demand for temperature-sensitive products, particularly in the under-served sectors.

Category-Wise Insights

By Product Type:

• Refrigerated Storage: The refrigerated Storage sector comprises cold storage and storage, which maintain precise temperature conditions to preserve the quality and safety of perishable commodities. Fresh and frozen food products are being rapidly sought after in Europe, and a significant demand for high-class, sophisticated, and scalable storage systems arises.

• Refrigerated Transport: Refrigerated transport is defined as the movement of sensitive goods to temperature in the supply chain. They consist of trucks, ships, and airplanes fitted with refrigerated units, among others. The section aims to ensure that commodities like fresh fruits, drugs, and vaccines reach their destinations without getting spoiled because they are safely transported from one destination to another.

• Cold Boxes: Cold boxes are thermally insulated containers explicitly designed to temporarily store and transit temperature-sensitive products. The most usage of cold boxes is seen in last-mile delivery services. They are essential to the healthcare industry, particularly in vaccination and other biological substance transportation. The ease of portability and usability has increased popularity for portable solutions.

• Monitoring Equipment: This refers to the class of electronic equipment and systems used to monitor and track commodities’ temperature and humidity levels at any point in the cold chain. Data loggers, sensors, and IoT-enabled monitoring systems are new technologies that provide enterprise visibility and control, help enterprises maintain their products of quality, and meet regulatory requirements.

By Temperature Range

• Frozen: Frozen includes foods that must be stored and/or distributed at subfreezing temperatures. Some examples are ice cream, frozen fresh/frozen vegetables, and frozen pharmaceuticals. This will ensure that food is not spoiled and products are safe for human consumption. The rapid growth of frozen food consumption in Europe marks its high popularity among consumers.

• Chilled: Chilled logistics deals with the movement of products that should be kept above freezing temperatures but below ambient temperatures, typically 0 C to 5 C. Some of the products to be chilled include fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and vaccine types. Chilled logistics has grown primarily due to increased demand for fresh and less processed foods.

By Mode of Transportation

• Road: In cold chain logistics, the most preferred type of transportation is by road, especially at short to mid-range distances. Note also that refrigerated trucks and vans have an essential function for goods delivery direct into the stores or through some other distribution center directly, even into the hands of a consumer. Flexibility offers a road segment to facilitate critical last-mile deliveries within Europe for perishables.

• Rail: High-capacity long-distance movements are inexpensive and environmentally friendly for transporting large volumes of temperature-sensitive goods. Refrigerated rail cars are increasingly being accepted, particularly in Europe, for bulk food, pharmaceuticals, and more shipments. Rail can provide a relatively stable environment for transporting temperature-controlled products and is less susceptible to traffic delays that afflict road transportation. This stability and lower cost make rail transport reliable in cold chains.

• Air: Air transport is the quickest means of transportation. It is mainly employed for transporting high-value cargo where time is a constraint, such as pharmaceuticals, fresh seafood, and increasingly exotic fruits. While air happens to be one of the costlier modes, this is a fundamental mode in ensuring that perishables can be flown long distances and delivered fast to various markets. Air transport also forms an important segment everywhere in the world for transporting temperature-controlled goods up and down the supply chain.

• Sea: Similar to a road section, sea transport is a suitable mode of transport for bulk transportation of perishable products. The most common use of refrigerated containers or “reefers” in shipping goods via sea is for frozen foods, fresh produce, and pharmaceuticals. Though slower than air transport, sea transport is much cheaper and is a must for temperature-controlled products that are shipped intercontinentally.

Report Scope

Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market – Country Analysis

The Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market is further segmented into Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, and the Rest of Europe. A summary of each country is provided below:

• Germany: Germany has a strong cold chain logistics market because of its industrial base and advanced infrastructure. The country is strict about food safety and regulatory compliance and invests in the latest cold storage and transport. Germany also focuses on sustainability, promoting green practices in the cold chain.

• UK: The UK is one of the major centres for cold chain logistics, especially in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and there is an increased demand for chilled and frozen food products. The transport infrastructure in the UK and the importance of resilient supply chains helps the market.

• France: France has a vast market for agriculture, food, and beverages, backed up by a strong cooling chain of refrigerated warehouses and transportation systems that safeguard the quality of perishables exported. France is also emphasizing upgrading its cold chain infrastructure to support the growing demand for organic and sustainable food products, as well as more energy-efficient and environment-friendly practices.

• Italy: the market is primarily driven by a vibrant food and beverage industry, perishable goods and pharmaceuticals. Cold storage is being modernized, refrigerated transport expanded, but with an integrated focus on advanced monitoring technology.

• Spain: Spain, like many other agricultural-based businesses, has especially warm temperatures, and such an extremely powerful agricultural-based business makes it a strategic market to focus on, particularly about cold chain logistics, mostly for exporting fresh produce, seafood, among other products that are exported.

• Rest of Europe Countries: the remaining part of the cold chain logistics market would be quality standards and innovative technological integration in these countries. NL, Switzerland, and Austria have cold chain infrastructure developed to a great extent, supporting ample food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries and investing in borderless logistics for easy trans-European trade. The pressure on the environment has risen, hence the investment in more environmentally friendly chilling technologies and efficient logistics.

Competitive Landscape – Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market

The Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market is highly competitive, with many cold storage operators and transport companies active across Europe. Some of the key players in the market include:

• DHL Supply Chain
• Kuehne + Nagel
• DB Schenker
• AGRO Merchants Group
• Lineage Logistics
• Maersk
• Nichirei Logistics Group
• XPO Logistics
• Imperial Logistics
• VersaCold Logistics Services
• NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics
• Stef
• Frigo Logistics
• Constellation Cold Logistics
• Norish Ltd.
• Thermotraffic
• Cold Chain Technologies
• Bring Frigo
• Partner Logistics
• Tibbett Logistics
• Others

Established companies in the Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market use technological innovation, strategic mergers and acquisitions, and forming alliances to maintain its market share.

The new entrants are following various growth strategies to outdo already established market players. One of the main strategies would be to use innovative technologies that meet the specific industry needs and provide some level of competitive advantage.

This improves the service propositions offered while catering to specific industries or sectors, targeting areas in the regions that were either not served or minimally served, setting competitive models of pricing, having an orientation towards customers in handling sustainable and eco-friendly logistic solutions, and making considerable investments in marketing and the development of brands.

The Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market is segmented as follows:

By Product Type

• Refrigerated Storage
• Refrigerated Transport
• Cold Boxes
• Monitoring Equipment

By Component

• Hardware
• Software
• Services

By Temperature Range

• Frozen
• Chilled

By Mode of Transportation

• Road
• Rail
• Air
• Sea

By Application

• Food and Beverages
• Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
• Chemicals
• Agriculture
• Other

Regional Coverage:

Europe

• Germany
• France
• U.K.
• Russia
• Italy
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Rest of Europe