Constellation Cold Logistics agrees to acquire two companies in Europe

Constellation Cold Logistics, a leading European cold storage and logistics provider, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Colso Coldstorage Ltd (“Colso”). The transaction will allow Constellation to enter the Irish market, strengthening its European footprint and service offering for existing and new customers.

Colso, a family-run business founded in 1974, is recognised as one of the most trusted providers of cold storage services in the South of Ireland, with particular expertise across the dairy and meat sectors. With 24,000 pallets of storage capacity, Colso has become an essential supply chain partner to many of Ireland’s leading food producers, providing storage for products requiring a range of temperatures and complex handling requirements. Colso provides a customised service offering that is tailored to best meet customer needs, while always ensuring traceability and integrity of the cold chain.

Carlos Rodriguez (Constellation Cold Logistics CEO) said “Colso will open up strategic opportunities for Constellation in Ireland and strengthen our geographical position in Europe. Colso’s commodity expertise and excellent customer base are of major importance for our company. As a major net exporter of several key food product categories, Ireland is of great relevance within the global cold chain. Our plans include further growth via M&A and expansion projects to support customers’ international growth and streamline their route to market.

Deirdre Collins (Colso Managing Director) and the broader Colso team fit perfectly within Constellation’s culture, which focuses on strong entrepreneurial teams in each geography with deep customer relationships and local market knowledge. We look forward to working with the team and Colso’s longstanding customers to meet their growth ambitions, both within Ireland and our other operating geographies, while delivering the highest levels of service.”

Constellation Cold Logistics agrees to acquire VF Coldstores

VF was founded in 1988 and opened a second cold store to meet high customer demand in 2007. VF offers 17,000 pallets of storage capacity in the Dublin area plus a full suite of value-added services, including blast freezing, high volume case picking, managed transport service, and import export services. VF has enjoyed significant growth by partnering with customers to develop bespoke solutions, and the company has become an integral link in the supply chains of leading Irish producers in the meat and packaged foods sectors.

Carlos Rodriguez (Constellation’s CEO) said “The addition of VF Coldstores to our network opens up strategic opportunities in Ireland and strengthens Constellation’s geographical position. VF’s strong relationships with Irish producers and its strategic location near the city centre and the port of Dublin strongly position the company for future growth. Ireland is one of the largest net exporters of food products in Europe and this transaction will allow us to continue to grow with existing VF customers, new clients, and numerous Irish companies which we already serve in the UK and mainland Europe’’.

The VF team customer service focus is very much aligned with Constellation’s strategy and culture, which focus on providing high-quality and efficient local service in every market, whilst benefiting from the capabilities of a pan-European network.

Vincent Flanagan (VF Managing Director) said “I’m very pleased that VF is joining Constellation; having a partner that fully understands the European market dynamics, including the need for flexibility and agility to meet customer needs, will put VF in a stronger position to support the growth of our customers’ supply chains in Ireland, the UK and other European countries. Constellation’s culture and values are visible at all levels of the organisation and our team is looking forward to being part of the group’’.

Constellation is Europe’s leading independent cold storage and logistics provider. Following the transaction closing, Constellation will have approximately 640,000 pallet positions of temperature-controlled capacity and a presence across seven European countries.