Italian fresh produce company GF Group has said it plans to continue strengthening its logistics operations this year, while maintaining its core business of marketing fruit and vegetables.
Speaking exclusively in this month's Eurofruit Magazine, GF Group president Antonio Orsero said the marketer-distributor planned to develop a more widespread presence in the north-west Mediterranean through its recent acquisition of Spanish terminal operator Fruport.
In addition, the company is set to build and manage a new refrigerated container terminal on a 140,000m2 site at the Port of Sète in southern France.
'Although marketing fresh fruit and vegetables remains GF Group's core business, during the past few years the group has notably strengthened its presence in the European logistics sector through major investments,' Mr Orsero told Eurofruit Magazine.
The recent acquisition of VIO, a logistics operator based closer to home in the north-west Italian town of Vado Ligure, has also enabled GF Group to sign a major deal with retailer Nordiconad to build a new, 40,000m2 distribution centre in nearby Quilano to serve 130 supermarkets in the regions of Liguria and Piedmont.
'The development of this new centre will complement our port activities for the food sector as well as attracting new business to the multipurpose platform at Vado, which will soon include a new container terminal operated by APM Terminals,' said Mr Orsero.
'For VIO, this is a huge task in terms of growing its logistics activities and the general development of the region,' he added.
The full interview with GF Group president Antonio Orsero appears in the January 2010 edition of Eurofruit Magazine.
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