Ceva Logistics is consolidating its European last-mile delivery operations under the Paack brand, combining its France-based subsidiary Colis Privé with the Spanish and Portuguese delivery specialist it acquired earlier this year. The move, announced on Friday, is intended to create a single service offer for e-commerce businesses operating in several European markets.
Ceva Logistics is part of the CMA CGM Group, based in Marseille, which ranks among the world’s top five logistics companies by gross revenue. The group bought Paack in early August to grow its last-mile delivery footprint in Europe, following its 2022 purchase of Colis Privé. Colis Privé is also present in Belgium and Luxembourg.
That decision reverses the original course charted when the proposed Paack acquisition was announced last summer, with the expectation that Colis Privé would absorb Paack. Instead, from January Ceva will begin to gradually roll out the unified Paack identity to customers and partners.
A multi-market network covering a number of European markets
The joint operation will handle about 150 million parcels a year through a network of 17,000 out-of-home delivery points. France and Spain each have about 8,000 locations, and Belgium adds another 1,500. Paack employs around 490 people and also operates six urban delivery stations in France. Both networks serve individual residential addresses and out-of-home collection and delivery points.
Ceva Logistics said that the merger will make it easier for online retailers with cross-border operations to manage deliveries. The combined network is also expected to deliver a more consistent experience for domestic and international parcel shipments.
Another big plus of the integration is technology. Paack’s current digital capabilities will boost Colis Privé’s operational performance across the whole parcel delivery process.
These include end-to-end parcel planning, real-time shipment tracking, accurate delivery time-slot management, advanced reporting, integrated returns management, and route optimization designed to reduce delays. The technology should quickly enhance the capabilities of Colis Privé and allow the combined operation to improve visibility and coordination along the entire delivery journey.
European e-commerce drives logistics consolidation
Why it’s important: The tie-up follows a consolidation in Europe’s e-commerce logistics market as companies look to expand their delivery networks and enter new markets faster to meet the ongoing growth in online shopping.
ECDB, a research firm, projects that European e-commerce revenue will grow 36% during the second half of the decade, reaching more than $1 trillion in 2029. Online retail sales are expected to grow 8.6% this year in line with the global growth rate. Portugal is set to see a growth rate of 9.1% making it the seventh fastest growing e-commerce market in the world.
Europe’s well-developed and growing digital infrastructure, high penetration of internet and a steadily growing population of online shoppers are some of the key factors supporting growth of the market, ECDB said in a white paper published this year.
However, despite this progress, online sales still account for 18.2% of total retail sales in Europe, below the global average of 25%. That share is expected to grow to 18.7% by 2027, translating into more opportunities for logistics providers that serve online retailers.
A move toward CMA CGM’s integrated logistics model
The combination with Paack and Colis Privé also supports CMA CGM’s broader ambition to become an integrated, end-to-end logistics services provider. The group’s strategy is built around a combination of its own operations in air, sea, road freight and parcel delivery and services provided by third-party transport providers.
Ceva Logistics. “It gives us better control of the customer experience for business-to-consumer retailers” through its own e-commerce delivery network. As online retailers continue to grow rapidly across European markets, the company is seeking to offer a more coordinated service by connecting logistics activities from origin through to final delivery.
So the unified Paack brand is more than a change in corporate identity. It combines complementary delivery networks, operational technology and geographic coverage in support of CMA CGM’s broader logistics strategy and the growing need for cross-border e-commerce fulfillment.
