CEVA Logistics Italia and Emmelibri (a Messaggerie Group company) have signed a letter of intent to launch a joint project aimed at developing an innovative logistics and book distribution center in Italy. The realization of the project includes the creation of a joint venture and the signing of a contract for the supply of logistic services to Messaggerie Libri with a 12-year duration envisaged.

Emmelibri, through Messaggerie Libri, is the most important Italian distributor of independent publishing material with a reputation for punctuality, reliability, and constant commitment to improving the quality of service for over 100 years. CEVA and MeLi have worked together since the 90s. CEVA has been responsible for the physical handling of all products distributed by Messaggerie Libri through the City of Books logistics hub at Stradella in Pavia since 2013.

Merging of Logistics Activities

CEVA Logistics Italia currently manages Messaggerie Libri’s book distribution services from the Stradella facility and these operations will be merged into the new entity. Messaggerie Libri will not be part of the corporate agreement and it will remain a subsidiary of the Messaggerie Group, owned by the Feltrinelli Group.

The two companies, leaders in their respective fields of activity, have reached an agreement aimed at creating one of the most modern and state-of-the-art logistics warehouses of its type in Europe with significant investments planned for 2021.

Equal ownership of the project

The agreement provides for the new project to be equally shared by CEVA Logistics (a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics) and Emmelibri (a company 100% controlled by Messaggerie Italiane) in the JV and will include the senior management of both companies in the project, Christophe Boustouller, CEO of CEVA logistics Italia, and Renato Salvetti, CEO of Messaggerie Libri.

Messaggerie Libri’s experience in the distribution of publishing products, combined with CEVA Logistics’ specialisation in the field of logistics, represents a great opportunity for the Italian book market to grow and develop through new and innovative distribution services for the benefit of Italian publishers and the market in general.

Says CEVA Logistics Italia’s CEO, Christophe Boustouller: “I’m really happy with this agreement signed with Meli. A new chapter is opening today which is even more promising, than the more than ten-year collaboration that already exists between CEVA and MeLi. This new partnership will allow us to better face the challenges of the future in the logistics industry in a truly dynamic way. We will continue to bring our expertise and know-how as we have done across all these years. In the meantime, I would like to thank all the employees of CEVA, of La Città del Libro and the entire MeLi team who have recognized us as the leader in Italian logistics.”

“We are very pleased with this agreement, which we have worked on for a long time together with Roberto Miglio, Managing Director of Messaggerie Italiane, in the wake of the long relationship with our logistics partner CEVA Logistics Italia,” Alberto Ottieri, Vice President and CEO Emmelibri srl, says. “Messaggerie will enter the logistics sector with a direct involvement, working alongside the specialist company CEVA Italia, to face together the challenges of the future in the field of logistics and technological innovation, at the service of our publishing customers and of the entire Italian book market.”