What Petit Forestier Group does

Petit Forestier Group, founded in 1907 and headquartered in Villepinte, France, is a family-owned European leader in cold chain logistics with operations across 24 countries, approximately 5,900 employees, and annual revenue exceeding EUR 1.2 billion. The Group designs, rents, and maintains refrigerated vehicles (trucks, vans), refrigerated furniture (display units), and refrigerated containers under a Full Service multi-year rental model that bundles maintenance, support, and end-of-life recycling. Its core brands include Petit Forestier in Europe, Stricher Froid in Île-de-France, Mendon in the US Northeast, SV Noleggio in Italy, Freezerent in the UK, Eurocold in Australia, and the recently acquired Groupe Laguë in Canada, complemented by dry-vehicle brand Zefirent.

The Group's technology backbone combines in-house manufacturing through Lecapitaine (up to 8,000 refrigerated bodies per year, including patented innovations SafeWall, Urban, Recircle, RigidLink, and EasyAcc'Air) and Igloocar in Eastern Europe, with circular economy subsidiary Reways reusing over 4,000 parts in 2024 and recycling 40+ tonnes of refrigerant since 2018. A connected fleet of 16,000+ vehicles is managed through the Hiboo data platform to support predictive maintenance and carbon tracking. Recent fleet innovations include deployment of nearly 300 IVECO eDaily electric vehicles, a Hybrid Induction Brake system co-developed with TELMA, and R290 propane refrigeration units via partnership with PBX.

Petit Forestier generates revenue primarily through subscription-based Full Service rental contracts with enterprise customers in food distribution, retail/grocery (including Carrefour), pharmaceutical/healthcare, and construction, supported by Lecapitaine's external hardware sales, used vehicle resale, and Reways' parts reuse. Go-to-market is B2B sales-led through regional agencies and direct enterprise relationships. The Group has invested in international expansion (Canada 2025, Australia 2024, US 2018, Africa 2010), secured $627 million in US Private Placement financing in June 2026 alongside a BBB Investment Grade rating from Kroll, and committed to SBTi-validated decarbonization targets through deployment of 4,000 additional electric vehicles financed by a EUR 150 million EIB loan over 2026-2029.

Name

Petit Forestier Group

Legal name

Groupe Petit Forestier

Website

https://petitforestiergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Petit Forestier Group is a French family-owned European leader (founded 1907) that designs, rents, and maintains refrigerated vehicles, furniture, and containers via Full Service multi-year contracts, serving food distribution, retail, pharmaceutical, and construction customers across 24 countries with EUR 1.2 billion+ in revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refrigerated Vehicle Rental & Cold Chain Services

NAICS

Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321), Truck, Utility Trailer, and RV (Recreational Vehicle) Rental and Leasing (53212)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Truck (Reefer) Leasing & Rental (TLABABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refrigerated Last-Mile Vehicles Rental/Leasing (Chilled/Frozen Vans) (TLABAGAE), Alternative-Fuel Commercial Truck Leasing & Rental (EV/CNG/LNG/Hydrogen) (TLABABAN), Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

Keywords

• Refrigerated vehicle rental
• Cold chain logistics
• Refrigerated body manufacturing
• Static refrigeration equipment
• Commercial fleet leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Villepinte

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Refrigerated Vehicle Rental: Core rental business for refrigerated vehicles (trucks, vans) with full service including maintenance, support, and insurance
2. Refrigerated Furniture Rental: Rental of refrigerated display units and furniture for retail and cold storage applications
3. Container Rental: Rental of refrigerated containers for cold chain logistics
4. Dry Vehicle Rental: Complementary rental of non-refrigerated vehicles for specialized markets (hygiene, events, cinema, brewers)
5. Refrigerated Body Manufacturing: Industrial production of refrigerated bodies through Lecapitaine subsidiary, serving both internal fleet needs and external customers
6. Used Vehicle Resale: Sale of used rental vehicles at end of contract or life cycle
7. Parts Recycling and Reuse: Reuse of parts from decommissioned vehicles through Reways subsidiary

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Petit Forestier Group rents refrigerated vehicles (trucks, vans), containers, and refrigerated display furniture to businesses under multi-year Full Service contracts that bundle the equipment, maintenance, support, and roadside assistance. Through its Lecapitaine subsidiary, it also manufactures custom refrigerated bodies, and through Reways it recycles end-of-life equipment for parts reuse, delivering a full vertical cold chain solution to enterprise customers in food distribution, retail, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors.

Product overview

Petit Forestier Group is a comprehensive cold chain ecosystem offering a multi-brand portfolio centered on refrigerated rental, manufacturing, and circular economy services. The core offering consists of: (1) Rental brands including Petit Forestier (European leader in refrigerated vehicles, furniture, and containers with Full Service), regional brands (Stricher Froid in Ile-de-France, Mendon in NY/NJ, SV Noleggio in Italy, Freezerent in UK, Eurocold in Australia), and dry vehicle brand Zefirent; (2) Manufacturing through Lecapitaine (custom refrigerated bodies with 8,000 annual capacity), Igloocar (Eastern Europe/Nordic), and Metropolitan Truck Sales; (3) Circular economy via Reways (recycling and parts reuse, 4,000+ parts reused in 2024). The Group also acquired Groupe Laguë in Canada (July 2025) with ~1,000 vehicles. Recently launched Intencity vans and SafeWall multi-temperature partitions from new Saint-Lô facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SafeWall by Lecapitaine: Innovative movable partition for multi-temperature transport, adaptable to light commercial vehicles and trucks
• Urban by Lecapitaine
• EasyAcc'Air
• RigidLink
• Recircle Solution
• Intencity by Lecapitaine

Products and services

• Petit Forestier Refrigerated Vehicle, Container & Furniture Rental (Full Service) European leader in refrigerated rental offering Full Service packages (vehicle/container + furniture, maintenance, support, roadside assistance) for food distribution, retail, and pharmaceutical enterprises.
• Dry Vehicle Rental (Location Véhicules Secs) Complementary non-refrigerated vehicle rental services for specialized professional markets (hygiene, events, cinema, breweries).
• Lecapitaine Refrigerated Body Manufacturing Integrated bodywork manufacturer designing, producing, and assembling custom refrigerated truck and van bodies for both internal fleet use and external customers, with annual capacity up to 8,000 bodies.
• Igloocar Refrigerated Body Manufacturing Custom refrigerated body manufacturing serving Eastern Europe and Nordic countries.
• Reways Recycling & Parts Reuse Recycling, reuse, and valorization of refrigerated equipment at end of contract or end of life, including parts reuse within the Group fleet.
• Stricher Froid Refrigerated Rental (Île-de-France) Specialized refrigerated vehicle rental with maintenance and cold chain guarantee in the Île-de-France (Greater Paris) region.
• Mendon Refrigerated Rental (USA) Refrigerated vehicle rental and maintenance services in the New York and New Jersey market.
• SV Noleggio Refrigerated Rental (Italy) Italian refrigerated vehicle rental specialist offering personalized short, medium, and long-term rentals nationwide.
• Freezerent Refrigerated Rental (UK) Light refrigerated vehicle rental specialist serving the United Kingdom market.
• Eurocold Refrigerated Rental (Australia) Long-term rental of a wide range of refrigerated vehicles in Australia.
• Zefirent Commercial Vehicle Rental Commercial vehicle rental adapted to professional uses through Petit Forestier's global agency network.
• Metropolitan Truck Sales New and used truck sales, spare parts, financing solutions, and maintenance services for commercial transport operators.
• Groupe Laguë Specialized Vehicle Rental (Canada) Specialized vehicle rental (Camions Laguë and Location de Camions Eureka) in Quebec and Eastern Ontario, Canada, acquired in July 2025.
• Used Vehicle Resale Sale of used rental vehicles at end of contract or life cycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53% reduction in direct emissions target by 2032 (SBTi validated)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• IVECOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 December 2025Partnership for IVECO eDaily electric vehicles - nearly 300 delivered across Europe. Includes protocol for 2,000 chassis cabins to be equipped with Lecapitaine refrigerated bodies. Collaboration on ePTO technology for electric refrigeration.
• TELMAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2025Joint development of Hybrid Induction Brake (HIB) system - converts braking energy into usable power. Reduces fuel consumption by 30% and extends brake life by 90%. Prototype on IVECO Daily with Lecapitaine Urban body.
• PBX (Austria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2025Partnership to qualify and scale PBX's propane-based refrigerated unit technology for road transport. Petit Forestier supporting industrial qualification process for natural refrigerant adoption.
• HiboocoreTechnology or Integration · 4 March 2025Fleet data management partnership - aggregating and processing data from 16,000+ connected vehicles. Enables predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and carbon footprint tracking for customers.
• Emmaüs LibertéminorOthers · 1 January 2022Skills sponsorship (mécénat de compétences) partnership - employees contributing work time to association projects. Focus on communication, occupational health and safety, and event organization.
• Thermo KingcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for mobile refrigeration units - referenced in training programs for refrigeration technicians alongside Carrier
• CarriercoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for mobile refrigeration technology - referenced in apprenticeship training programs alongside Thermo King

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Carrier Transicold: Major manufacturer of refrigerated truck and container units globally, partnered with Petit Forestier for technician training alongside Thermo King. Relevant as a refrigeration equipment incumbent shaping technology and regulatory standards for cold-chain fleets.
• ALD Automotive: One of Europe's largest full-service vehicle leasing and fleet management providers. Adjacent competitor as enterprises increasingly bundle refrigerated fleet needs into broader multi-vehicle fleet outsourcing contracts.
• LeasePlan: Global fleet leasing and management company serving large enterprise customers. Adjacent competitor in the broader commercial vehicle leasing market where Petit Forestier's full-service rental competes for outsourced fleet budgets.
• Krone: German commercial trailer manufacturer including a strong refrigerated trailer product line. Comparable in cold-chain equipment technology and European customer footprint, though focused on equipment sales rather than integrated rental services.
• Thermo King (Trane Technologies): Global leader in transport temperature-control units installed on trucks, trailers, and containers. A key supplier to Petit Forestier (per technician training programs) and a strategic upstream/downstream counterpart in the refrigerated ecosystem.
• Schmitz Cargobull: Europe's largest trailer manufacturer with a deep refrigerated trailer portfolio and growing services/rental arm. Comparable in cold-chain equipment supply and increasingly in fleet services relevant to Petit Forestier's integrated offering.

Emerging players

• Lamberet: French refrigerated body and trailer manufacturer serving food transport and last-mile customers. Overlaps with Petit Forestier on refrigerated body technology and customer segments, though primarily a manufacturer rather than full-service rental operator.
• Chereau: French designer and manufacturer of insulated and refrigerated semi-trailers, with growing rental and services offerings. Comparable in customer base (food logistics, retail) and in the refrigerated body technology that complements Petit Forestier's Lecapitaine manufacturing.

Direct peers

• Fraikin: French-headquartered, pan-European commercial vehicle rental and leasing group with a dedicated refrigerated/cold-chain division. Direct competitor to Petit Forestier across France, Benelux, UK, and Germany, offering comparable full-service rental to food retail and logistics customers.
• TIP Group: Netherlands-based pan-European trailer and truck leasing company with a significant refrigerated (reefer) trailer fleet. Competes head-to-head with Petit Forestier's reefer trailer/container leasing lines and serves overlapping logistics and food distribution customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petitforestiergroup

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries11 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 Petit Forestier Group