LPR-La Palette Rouge achieved a turnover of 104.9 million Euros in 2010, an increase of 3% by value and 7% by volume.
For the 18th consecutive year since it was founded, Europe's Number 2 pallet-pooling specialist posted a clear increase in its sales figures. Its consolidated turnover increased by more than 3%, reaching 104.9 million Euros (compared with 101.7 million Euros in 2009). The number of pallet deliveries was up by 7%, closing at almost 42 million.
All of the group's subsidiaries posted an increase in both volume and market penetration. The evolution was particularly strong in Spain, the United Kingdom, Benelux and Germany, which all achieved double-digit increases in activity.
These excellent results are mostly due to the signing of new contracts, exemplified by Unilever, Silver Spring Soft Drinks, PZ Cussons and ICT Iberica. But also to the renewal and broadening of existing arrangements, notably with Arla Foods in the Netherlands, Nestlé in Belgium and France. Further examples include Sofidel and Saint-Amand in France, Lactalis in Portugal and Mars and Kimberly-Clark in Germany. Cross-border trade is increasing and is one of the driving forces behind LPR's growth throughout Europe. Examples of this are Mars and Nestlé who have entrusted LPR with their pallet flows between Germany and France and between France and UK respectively.
High quality, full product range, wider reach
Torsten Wolf, CEO of LPR-La Palette Rouge Group, comments: "Our strategy is based on three fundamental principles: the quality of our pallets, the quality of our service and our ability to offer cross-European coverage with a range of pallets adapted to FMCG distribution. This three-pronged strategy allows us to reinforce our connections with key industry accounts, both national leaders and pan-European FMCG producers."
2010 was a year of many initiatives and events for LPR. The Group was awarded certification in two important fields: ISO 9001 for quality management for all of its key subsidiaries across Europe and PEFCTM for its entire Supply Chain, which entitles it to propose wooden pallets that are guaranteed to come from sustainably managed forests.
The year also saw the opening of a regional office in Italy and the acquisition of Contraload N.V's plastic quarter display pallets (600x400mm) pooling operation. "We have redesigned these pallets and they are now doing very well in the market. This enables us to offer manufacturers in the FMCG sector a full range of solutions for shipping their goods to major retailers anywhere in Europe, with formats ranging from full-size pallets (800x1200 or 1000x1200), through half-size down to quarter-size pallets."
Optimism for 2011
The Group has good reasons to be optimistic about the future. Torsten Wolf concludes: "We are going into 2011 with a promising outlook for increased volumes and a solid customer portfolio."