Panalpina announces that it has reached an agreement, subject to conditions, with Belgian companies Adelantex NV and AD Handling NV earlier this week.

With a presence in Brussels and Liège, Adelantex handles approximately 75,000 tons of air freight imports per year, and manages ground handling at Brussels Airport, customs clearance and the onward distribution in Europe. The 46 staff of Adelantex serve roughly 200 customers across Europe that import fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and plants into the region. The vast majority of perishables are imported via Brussels Airport where Adelantex operates a warehouse directly on the tarmac with 1,600 m2 of cold storage. A quarter of the overall volumes are imported via Liège Airport and Ostend Airport.

Once the deal is closed, Kris Poels will join Panalpina as country head of Perishables in Belgium and Luxembourg. Jellen Bosmans and Igor Vandyck will also remain in the company with positions in finance and operations, respectively. Mergan will support Panalpina in further developing its global perishables business.

“Adelantex’ ground handling operations in Brussels are best in class and will serve as a blueprint for similar operations in other countries,” explains Stefan Karlen, CEO of Panalpina. “On top of that, Adelantex has a solid customer base and significant import volumes from important origin markets across the world. This will allow us to seize opportunities in those markets to further grow our perishables business.”

“Our perishables network is expanding rapidly. After the acquisitions in Kenya, Germany and the Netherlands earlier this year, we are now delighted to welcome new perishables experts in Belgium,” comments Bruno Jacques, Panalpina’s managing director for Belgium and Luxembourg.