Groupage gains in importance

Customers take fewer and fewer household goods with them when they move. This trend combined with the need for more sustainable moving methods is what makes groupage so interesting. Groupage Manager Ben Schmidt explains.

“Groupage involves consolidating multiple moves in one container and offers several advantages. For starters, it is more environmentally friendly because this enables us to avoid transporting empty or half-full containers. So if a customer just needs to move a few boxes to a different country, we can simply add them to a container that still has space left.”

Groupage is also financially interesting since these customers won’t have to pay full price if their goods only take up half of the container. And this is exactly the trend Gosselin wants to follow. Customers need less and less volume for their international moves, so companies need to change how they offer their services.

“We have worked closely with our ITS team to automate a lot of our moving software to make sure our groupage activities run smoothly,” Ben adds. “We also have control over the entire logistics chain, including customs declaration. This enables us to offer a full package from the initial booking to the billing.”

Despite the many advantages, groupage is still plagued by some pre-conceived notions that people associate with it. “Customers often think items sent by groupage take a while to arrive, but at Gosselin we offer tight transit times. We currently have regular departures to the USA, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Australia. We will be expanding to Thailand, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong and China, and Saudi Arabia soon,” Ben concludes.

About Gosselin

Gosselin is a leading provider of international moving and destination services. Our clients are  multinationals, relocation management companies, expats, diplomats, military personnel and private persons. With 56 offices in 34 countries, Gosselin has a strong presence in Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.  

Gosselin is a division of the Gosselin Group that has its headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium. The company was founded in 1930 and employs a staff of 975 that generates more than 450 million euros in turnover.