La Sphère

What La Sphère does

La Sphère Transport & Logistique is a privately held, family-owned road-transport and logistics company headquartered in Saint Sauveur, near Toulouse, France, with operations dating back to 1957 (then operating as Transports SDTL). Following the 2020 acquisition of logistics firm RSO, the company rebranded to La Sphère Transport & Logistique in June 2021 and expanded into integrated logistics alongside its heritage transport activity. The company operates a 100% Euro 6 fleet of approximately 80 tractors (24 equipped with semi-autonomous driving technology) traveling roughly 10.5 million km per year, and runs a 3,500 m² logistics warehouse in Belberaud. It serves B2B customers across French retail, food-and-agriculture, industry, and e-commerce via a direct sales motion, with quote-based engagement through its website.

The company's service portfolio spans core transport (general cargo, temperature-controlled transport, regular-line traction from Toulouse to major French cities, store distribution, and parcel messaging), industrial vehicle rental with drivers, and an affrètement (freight brokerage) operation. Its logistics offering includes general warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, distribution logistics, and cross-docking, supported by a computerized Warehouse Management System (WMS) with client-side information system integration and real-time inventory and vehicle geolocation tracking. Announced B2B and direct-to-online-retailer fulfillment models cover stock reception, control, weighing, photography, order preparation, packaging, and international parcel shipping.

La Sphère generates revenue through transaction-fee pricing across multiple service lines — transport contracts and per-delivery fees, storage and handling/fulfillment fees, brokerage commissions on arranged freight, and rental rates on industrial vehicle leases with drivers. Disclosed named customers include Auchan, Carrefour Groupe, Groupe Casino, Leroy Merlin, Les Mousquetaires, Super U, Boy Diffusion, Lactalis, Lhoist, and the startup Flipr. Management is led by the Quéguiner family (Luc as President and principal shareholder since 2016, with Clément and Gabriel also in ownership and operations), with Lucas Belkaid heading the logistics business unit. The company is a member of the FLO pallet network and is GDPR-compliant, and remains a private, non-listed, family-controlled entity with no disclosed external equity investment.

Name

La Sphère

Legal name

La Sphère Transport & Logistique

Website

https://la-sphere.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Sphère Transport & Logistique is a family-owned French road-transport and 3PL operator founded in 1957 near Toulouse, providing general and temperature-controlled freight transport, logistics warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, freight brokerage, and industrial vehicle rental with drivers to enterprise customers in retail, food, industry, and e-commerce across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-sauveur

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transport de marchandises: General freight transport services including regional and national transport, traction services (regular lines), temperature-controlled transport, vehicle rental with drivers, and distribution services. Revenue generated through service contracts and per-delivery pricing.
2. Logistique et stockage: Warehouse storage, fulfillment services, e-commerce logistics, distribution logistics, and cross-docking services. Revenue from storage fees, handling charges, and fulfillment fees.
3. Affrètement (Chartering): Brokerage services connecting clients with transport providers, offering full or partial loads across France and Europe. Revenue through commission or service fees on arranged transport.
4. Location de véhicules industriels avec conducteurs: Industrial vehicle rental with drivers, customized to client needs and image.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Sphère is a family-owned French transport and logistics provider founded in 1957 near Toulouse, operating a 100% Euro 6 fleet of 80 vehicles and a 3,500 m² warehouse. It sells road freight transport (general cargo, temperature-controlled, regular lines, store distribution, parcel messaging), industrial vehicle rental with drivers, warehousing and logistics services (general, e-commerce, distribution, fulfillment, cross-docking), and freight brokerage (affrètement) to enterprise clients across retail, e-commerce, food, and industrial sectors in France and Europe.

Product overview

La Sphère Transport & Logistique is a family-owned transport and logistics company founded in 1957 near Toulouse, France, offering a comprehensive suite of road transport and logistics services. The portfolio consists of core transport services (general cargo, temperature-controlled transport, vehicle rental with drivers, regular lines, store distribution, and messaging), complemented by logistics operations (general logistics, e-commerce logistics, distribution logistics, and fulfillment), and freight brokerage services (affrètement, pallet networks, express delivery, and dedicated lot services). Technology features include real-time tracking and traceability systems. The company operates with approximately 130 employees, 80 vehicles, a 3,500 m² warehouse in Belberaud, and serves major retail and industrial clients including Auchan, Carrefour, Leroy Merlin, and Lactalis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 8% revenue growth projected for 2021
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RSO (acquisition)coreOthersLa Sphère acquired the company RSO, which operated in logistics in the Southwest region for 70 years. This acquisition enabled La Sphère to expand into logistics services and relocate to a 3,500 m² warehouse in Belberaud. The acquisition was part of the company's rebranding from SDTL to La Sphère Transport & Logistique in 2021.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chronopost: French express parcel and last-mile delivery operator. Comparable to La Sphère's messagerie (parcel/LTL) service line for B2B and B2C shipments across France.
• STEF: French specialist in temperature-controlled transport and logistics for food products. Directly comparable to La Sphère's temperature-controlled transport and cold-chain logistics segment serving retailers like Lactalis.
• Heppner: French family-rooted transport and logistics group with strong regional presence and national/international networks. Comparable mid-market road transport, warehousing, and forwarding profile to La Sphère.

Broad incumbents

• Dachser: German-headquartered logistics provider with strong European road transport and contract logistics networks. Competes with La Sphère on pan-European pallet and freight forwarding (affrètement) services.
• XPO Logistics (now GXO Logistics): Major contract logistics and transport provider with significant French operations in warehousing and distribution; competes for the same retail and e-commerce fulfillment contracts as La Sphère.
• Geodis: Large French/global 3PL offering road transport, contract logistics, fulfillment and freight forwarding. Overlaps with La Sphère across transport, warehousing, and e-commerce fulfillment, but at national/global scale.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics player with significant French road transport and contract logistics operations; overlaps with La Sphère's affrètement and integrated logistics offerings.
• Norbert Dentressangle (DSV): Originally a French road transport specialist (now under DSV), operating in transport, logistics and forwarding across Europe. Directly comparable services and customer base to La Sphère.
• DB Schenker: European land transport, contract logistics and freight forwarding provider. Comparable to La Sphère across general cargo, warehousing, and forwarding service lines.

Regional players

• Easydis: Logistics subsidiary of Groupe Casino historically dedicated to retail distribution in France. Comparable to La Sphère in store distribution and retail-focused logistics, particularly for Casino stores.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/La.Sphere.Transport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transports-logistique-la-sphere-31

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 La Sphère