What Groupe BBL does

Groupe BBL is a privately-held French federation of transport and logistics specialists, founded in 1997 as BBL Transport and headquartered in Paris with operational hubs across metropolitan France (notably St Quentin Fallavier, Tournan en Brie, Le Havre, Mulhouse, Lille, Marseille, and Lyon). The group operates through a federated model of more than fifteen wholly-owned subsidiaries — including Charvin Logistics, Marichal Logistics, SAT, TIF Sensible, Charpiot, Bellereaux, TMS, Galax (BBL CARGO), Share Logistics, Portocargo, Lusocargo, Transit'Air, Tremail Sensi, and Art Services Transport — each retaining its own brand and autonomous management while sharing group-level resources and technology.

The business is organized around five integrated service lines: Inland Transport (road groupage to 37 European countries, FTL/LTL direct trucking, eco-trucking rental, and rail/river barging); Overseas Transport (sea, air, and Eurasia rail freight under the BBL CARGO brand reaching 150+ countries); Contract Logistics (130,000+ m² of managed warehousing, order preparation, reverse logistics, and quality control); Customs & Compliance (a centralized DCN system covering 27 French entry points with 120+ declarants, supported by OEA and CTPAT certifications); and Lead Logistics Systems (visibility, KPI tracking, and collaborative exception management). Supporting technology includes Speed WMS from BK Systems deployed across all subsidiaries, TMS Route, Weezioo and Shippeo tracking integrations, and EDI connectivity with customer ERPs.

Groupe BBL monetizes primarily through transaction fees on transport services, managed services for contract logistics, and professional services for customs and compliance, with quote-based pricing tailored per customer. The go-to-market is direct, relationship-driven sales through dedicated enterprise and inside-sales teams, with no intermediaries or third-party resellers. The company serves six main verticals — manufacturing, offline and online retail, chemistry/parachemistry, food and beverage, high-tech/aeronautics, and luxury/fine arts — and relies on a flexible capacity model combining an owned fleet with 5,000+ selected service providers across more than 45 countries.

Name

Groupe BBL

Legal name

BBL TRANSPORT

Website

https://groupe-bbl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Groupe BBL is a French federation of transport and logistics specialists offering customized road, sea, air, and rail freight forwarding, contract warehousing, and customs clearance services to enterprise customers across 150+ countries through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries and partner providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Les Merciers

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Road Freight Transportation: Revenue from road groupage shipments to and from 37 countries in Greater Europe, direct trucking (FTL/LTL), eco trucking rental services, and rail/river barging solutions. Services include collection, cross-docking, international transport, and final delivery.
2. Overseas Transportation: Revenue from sea freight (groupage containers, LCL to FCL consolidations), air freight (FAST-TRACK, OPTIMUM, ECO services), Eurasia rail transport (Silk Road routes), and multimodal solutions combining sea, air, and rail transport.
3. Contract Logistics & Warehousing: Revenue from managing over 130,000 square meters of warehouses including handling services, order preparation, local distribution, reverse logistics, quality control, and outsourced warehouse management under delegation of services.
4. Customs Clearance Services: Revenue from customs declaration preparation, BTI (Binding Tariff Information) applications, CON (Certificate of Origin) applications, special arrangements (customs warehousing, inward/outward processing), and regulatory compliance support.
5. Special Transport Services: Revenue from oversize and project cargo transport, urgent solutions and AOG (aircraft on ground), controlled temperature transport, dangerous goods handling, sensitive and valuable freight, and additional services including specific packaging and ad valorem insurance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Groupe BBL is a federation of transport and logistics specialists providing customized freight, transportation, warehousing, and supply chain solutions across road, sea, air, and rail modes. The group operates across more than 150 countries through its own fleet and a network of 5,000+ service providers, with over 130,000 m² of managed warehousing and centralized customs clearance covering 27 entry points in metropolitan France.

Product overview

Groupe BBL is a federation of transport and logistics specialists offering an integrated suite of logistics solutions under a 'manufacture of logistics solutions' model. The core portfolio centers on five interconnected service lines: Lead Logistics Systems (tracking and visibility with human-managed exception handling), Contract Logistics (130,000+ m² of warehousing and distribution via Charvin Logistics), Inland Transport (road groupage and FTL/LTL across 37+ countries), Overseas Transport (sea, air, and rail freight under BBL CARGO brand), and Customs & Compliances (customs clearance with certified OEA operators). Special Transport services and WMS integration (Speed WMS) complement the core offerings. The Group operates through multiple subsidiaries including BBL Transport (founded 1997), SAT, Charpiot, Bellereaux, Marichal, Charvin, TIF, TMS, and Galax, each maintaining their brands and specialized expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BBL CARGO: Overseas transport solutions
• Lead Logistics Systems
• Charvin Logistics

Products and services

• Lead Logistics Systems Tracking and visibility solution for managing shipments across road, sea, air, and rail transport with human-managed exception handling, KPI tracking, and continuous improvement. Designed for shippers needing supply chain piloting and collaborative information sharing.
• Contract Logistics Warehousing and local distribution services managing over 130,000 m² of warehouses with handling, order preparation, reverse logistics, and quality controls, primarily operated through the Charvin Logistics subsidiary.
• Inland Transport Road freight services including international groupage to and from 37 countries in Greater Europe via 50+ hubs, direct trucking (FTL/LTL), eco trucking rental, and rail/river barging alternatives for sustainable transport.
• Overseas Transport International freight solutions including sea freight, air freight (Fast-Track, Optimum, Eco service tiers), Eurasia rail transport via Silk Road routes, and multimodal combinations connecting over 150 countries worldwide.
• Customs and Compliance Services Customs clearance services using tools such as Customs CONEX and DELTA G teleprocedure, including the National Centralized Customs Clearance (DCN) covering 27 entry points across metropolitan France, plus BTI and CON certification support and regulatory compliance assistance.
• Special Transports Specialized transport solutions including oversize and project cargo, urgent solutions and AOG (aircraft on ground), controlled temperature, dangerous goods handling, and sensitive and high-value freight.
• BBL CARGO Overseas transport brand providing maritime and air freight solutions, groupage containers from Northern European ports with weekly departures to the US and Panama, and LCL to FCL consolidation services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130,000+ M2 warehouse capacity managed across multiple sites
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• BK Systems (Speed WMS)coreTechnology or IntegrationBK Systems provides Speed WMS warehouse management software equipped across all BBL subsidiaries. This system streamlines physical management processes of warehouses and integrates with customer information systems (ERP, TMS, OMS) to enable seamless data exchange and inventory management.
• WeezioosupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeezioo provides road transport tracking platform integrated with TMS Route in several BBL subsidiaries. This enables customers to benefit from real-time shipment tracking and visibility for road freight operations.
• ShippeosupportingTechnology or IntegrationShippeo integration allows collection of tracking information within external applications used by BBL customers' TMS systems, providing unified visibility across transportation operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics company offering road freight forwarding, contract logistics, customs brokerage, and multimodal services across Europe and globally. Closest direct peer to Groupe BBL given shared French base, multimodal service mix, contract logistics focus, and enterprise customer base.
• Dachser: German family-owned logistics company with strong European road groupage, air & sea freight forwarding, and contract logistics. Directly comparable to BBL on road groupage hub network across Europe, family/foundation ownership, and multimodal mid-market focus.
• CEVA Logistics: France-based global 3PL (owned by CMA CGM) offering contract logistics, freight forwarding (road, sea, air), and customs services. Comparable multimodal portfolio, European base, and integrated supply chain solutions targeting similar mid-market and enterprise customers.
• STEF: French specialist in temperature-controlled food logistics, transport, and warehousing with strong European network. Closely comparable as a French federation-style operator in contract logistics and multi-temperature freight, with overlapping retail and F&B customer base.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered mid-market global freight forwarder with road, air, sea, rail forwarding and contract logistics. Highly comparable on mid-market multimodal positioning, family-ownership heritage, and European road groupage/FTL LTL core.
• Bolloré Logistics: French-headquartered global logistics operator offering multimodal freight forwarding (sea, air, road, rail), contract logistics, and customs services. Closely comparable on French base, multimodal portfolio, integrated supply chain solutions, and global reach across Africa and emerging markets.

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Danish global transport and logistics powerhouse (with announced DB Schenker acquisition) covering air & sea, road, and contract logistics worldwide. Larger incumbent operating broadly across the same multimodal categories as BBL but at vastly greater scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-headquartered global freight forwarder and contract logistics leader. Overlaps with BBL on road groupage within Europe, sea/air forwarding, contract logistics, and customs, but operates at much larger scale across global enterprise contracts.
• DB Schenker: German global logistics provider with road, rail, sea, air freight and contract logistics across Europe and worldwide. Comparable multimodal European road freight and logistics services, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• XPO Logistics: Global provider of less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation and asset-based logistics with strong European presence. Comparable to BBL's road freight core and contract logistics offering, but operates at much larger scale across asset-heavy transport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bblgroupmarcom

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Groupe BBL