Palletcentrale®, a well-established Netherlands-based player in the procurement, sale, repair, and manufacture of pallets for over 54 years, is being acquired by its Belgian counterpart, Foresco Group. A request for approval of the acquisition was to be submitted to the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets, with the finalization of the acquisition expected later this autumn.
Palletcentrale is the market leader in the Netherlands with six locations. In 2022, the company generated a turnover of approximately €80 million and sold over 6 million pallets. The company was created in 1969, initially collecting pallets in the Rotterdam ports, sorting them and returning them to producers of various articles. Continuing growth quickly led to an increase in the number of branches and the opening of our head office in Moerdijk in 2000.
The sale of Palletcentrale will not affect the employment of the approximately 150 employees. “That was an important condition for me. Together we’ve grown and made the company successful, so you want to leave the people in good hands,” stated Marco Leemberg, director/owner of the Palletcentrale® Group, who will fully step back from the company he took over and revitalized 34 years ago.
Leemberg anticipates that saying goodbye to Palletcentrale will be difficult, especially since there is no immediate necessity for it. “The company is in excellent health. This actually made it a good time, especially with an eye on the future. Foresco is a fine company, with sustainability as a key focus, just like Palletcentrale. Moreover, they have substantial European ambitions that can ensure continuity and new successes for the people currently working at Palletcentrale® in the long run. I’d like to thank everyone for their collaboration and trust over the past decades.”
Bode Packaging, a subsidiary of Palletcentrale since 2021, is not involved in the acquisition and will continue to operate independently.
Source: Palletcentrale
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
