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Global reach,family feel

The Gosselin Group has come a long way in its

85-year history, but when visiting its Antwerp headquarters, you don’t have to look too far to spot its local roots.

Founded in the 1930s by Lambert Vivet, the company started life as a single-truck operation in Antwerp, undertaking moves in and around the Belgian city. When Vivet’s nephew, Dolf Gosselin, joined the company in the 1950s, it doubled its fleet – to two trucks – but did not begin to grow its international business footprint substantially until the 1970s.

Belgium’s Gosselin was originally a small, family-run mover, but its operations now span Europe, Central Asia and beyond. It combines a sizeable logistics business with growing ambitions as an international mover and relocation company, as Andrew Bennett found out…

Gosselin’s container terminal, on the Albert Canal in Antwerp, can move and load up to 100 40ft containers a day

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Now Gosselin Group – which includes Gosselin Mobility – is a significant operation, with more than 40 offices across western and eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and with industry partners around the globe. It employs around 700 people, including 100 within Belgium who deal with moving operations, and another 350 who deal with warehousing, logistics and transport services. Outside of its home country, there are a further 250 people in offices devoted to moving and relocation services.

However, when CEO Marc Smet – who began working for the company in 1976 – visits the warehouses at Gosselin’s Antwerp hub, he still feels a family-firm ‘vibe’. ‘As I walk around, I know every single warehouse manager because they have been here so long. Some of them – guys now in charge of warehouses – used to be movers 25 to 30 years ago, and we would have been on a moving job together.

‘Because of the difficulties in being a physical mover, we’ve been able to give these guys a responsible job as a warehouse manager, or in other roles. They stayed with the company, and they understand what we are doing – but they have moved on in the organisation as the company has grown.’

SenSe of purpoSeSmet has also grown with the firm and is perfectly placed to comment on its evolution over recent decades. After all, since becoming a shareholder in 1984 – when what is now the Gosselin Group was born – he has helped to drive many changes.

‘To begin with, I worked here as a student. I’ve done everything – washing trucks, moving jobs, working in the warehouse – and finally started with the company full-time after quitting school. My first job was doing surveys and selling with the guy who was then in charge of our international business, and learning from him. There were only five people in the office at that time.’

Fast forward to November 2014, when FIDI Focus visited Gosselin, and there is a new sense of purpose – especially within the moving and relocation part of the business – as a result of restructuring.

During 2014, Gosselin Group Mobility completed the rebranding of its Corstjens branches in eastern Europe to Gosselin, as part of a move to consolidate its divisions under one brand. Mike Cazalet also

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Gosselin’s warehousing operations total around 1.6mft2 in ‘Gosselinville’, as locals call this part of the Deurne industrial estate, in Antwerp.

there is a wide range of logistics facilities, including a 32,000m2 warehouse with solar panels on the roof, plus self-storage facilities. the warehouse is designed to meet various clients’ global logistics demands.

A diverse range of cargoes was awaiting

shipment when FiDi Focus visited; these included: bottled cherries and gherkins, for supermarkets in europe, in one temperature-controlled warehouse; spare parts for the us tesla sports car; a chinese artist’s model of the statue of Liberty; and giant wire bobbins that were being shipped between France and the united states.

A new 7,500m2 warehouse is dedicated

to storing high-tech, Japanese, metalworking machines for the car industry, and another houses giant trucks and diggers for mining operations in west Africa. in addition to the Antwerp warehouses, Gosselin offers another 3,000m2 of storage at Brussels Airport.

Much of Gosselin’s business has come through working for the us Department of state and Department

of Defense, including logistics, and the moving and storage of household goods on their behalf.

A purpose-built storage facility was opened in Antwerp in 1994, and strong logistics operational capabilities were needed to match the us government’s needs; the Gosselin container port – which opened in 2002 – can stuff and move up to 100 40ft container loads a day in the peak season.

the us government business – with Antwerp as the Department of state’s european hub – acted as a catalyst for Gosselin Group’s international expansion.

the model that was applied in the company’s home market quickly found success in other european countries where the united states military has a significant presence, such as the netherlands, Germany, italy and beyond.

More than just warehousing in ‘Gosselinville’

Keep on moving: Gosselin Mobility now operates 48 offices in 32 countries

Gosselin maintains its roots in moving, which is how the company started in 1930, despite its logistics arm handling sizeable volumes of business

‘I know every single warehouse manager because they have been here so long’

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joined the group as president of mobility services, and has driven changes, including new appointments.

‘There is an energy there… people are starting to get on board with all these changes; there is a positive drive and people want to be part of making all this work,’ notes Smet. ‘This is a good situation – whereas, before, we had different departments not necessarily cooperating the way we would have liked them to. They were sometimes more in competition with each other.

‘Now we have a really good feeling – we have everyone’s attention, and everyone is singing the same song. People are positive about the results they expect.’

Also in 2014, Tim Hagan was appointed director of the group’s global alliance management, and he has been talking about Gosselin to its industry partners throughout the FIDI and IAM networks. Hagan – an industry veteran from the United States, who had been responsible for the company’s relations with US agents and partners – believes the changes to the company have set a path for success.

‘We’ve all gone to one name [Gosselin Mobility]; various transitions have happened; people are in place; and I think the future is bright for the group,’ he says.

Hagan has been working with Jaff Van Durme, director of business development at Gosselin Mobility Services, to restructure the company’s branches, and drive a new focus on gaining corporate accounts. They have in their sights new business from embassies, and believe Gosselin’s strong heritage of working for consulates in Brussels and elsewhere – plus its government work for the United States and for Nato – is a ‘plus’.

‘We have the experience, and that’s a big selling point,’ claims Van Durme, who has been travelling to Gosselin offices in Russia and beyond to beef up the sales effort. His team of 10 salespeople in eastern Europe, and around eight for the west of

1930 Lambert vivet forms a local moving company in Antwerp – A vivet.

1950 Dolf Gosselin joins to form the company vivet-Gosselin

1984 Gosselin World Wide Moving is formed (and

current ceo Marc smet becomes a partner in the business)

1988 Gosselin italia – Milan founded

1995 Gosselin export Packers (manufacturer of plywood

boxes) is founded

1996 creation of north Atlantic services – nAs (non vessel

operating common carrier - nvocc)

1996 Gosselin World Wide Moving GmbH is founded

and acquires an agency structure, with eight agencies in Germany

1999 Acquisition of corstjens World Wide Movers

Group, with HQ in the netherlands and 19 offices in central and eastern europe

2000 Gosselin Airfreight Division (the company’s

own airfreight agent) is established at Brussels Airport

2002 Gosselin’s container terminal on the Albert

shipping canal becomes operational

2003 nomad express, with headquarters in Antwerp

and offices in the caucasus and central Asia, becomes the newest member of the Gosselin Group (now GccA)

2004 Gosselin acquires its own forwarding and road

transport

2007 Gosselin Group realigns its activities into two

divisions: Gosselin Moving and Gosselin Logistics Division

2009 Pasec Port, specialising in lashing and securing

cargo, joins the Gosselin Group

2011 Merger of vivet-Gosselin and Gosselin caucasus & central

Asia (GccA) into Gosselin Moving. vivet-Gosselin was the first company name to be registered with FiDi in the 1970s

2012 Gosselin Group acquires crosstainer, specialised in

traffic into and from china

2013 Purchase of the crown cork facilities in Deurne, the

industrial area where Gosselin’s HQ is located (7.2 ha/ 32.000m2. warehouses); a former bottling plant.

2014 Gosselin self storage opens its doors

Key events in Gosselin Group’s history

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Family roots: The late Dolf Gosselin, with his son Nico Gosselin (who still works in the company)

Vivet-Gosselin was formed in 1950, out of the original A Vivet moving company, and has strong roots in Antwerp, Belgium

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CEO MArC SMET – expecting growth in 2015 and beyond

MiKE CAzAlET, president of Gosselin Mobility Services since 2014

TiM HAGAN, director of Gosselin’s global alliance management: ‘We’re firing on all cylinders’

Chief operations officer STEPHAN GEurTS: ‘We want to maximise the effect of the rebranding’

JAFF VAN DurME, director of business development for mobility services, is one of those driving the sales mission

Marketing manager ANNE VAN GilS, who spearheaded the transition to a single brand for the group. She has seen the growth of the company during a long career with Gosselin

the continent, are actively encouraged to knock on corporate and diplomatic doors.

Gosselin has carefully chosen its alliances with agents who can offer reciprocity on shipments, and the former Corstjens offices have been moved onto a single, company-wide customer relationship management (CRM) system. ‘We’re firing on all cylinders, which makes it exciting,’ say Hagan.

‘It’s a great time to be here; being on this team is the most exciting time for me, after 31 years in this industry. All our ducks are in a row and I can see all sorts of opportunities emerging for us.’

Another key string to Gosselin’s bow, as Hagan sees it, is the company’s purpose-built container port on the Albert Canal, near to the firm’s headquarters, and its warehousing and logistics operations (see panel story).

‘I would rank this as among the top five per cent of facilities anywhere in the industry – it’s really easy to impress shippers [with the capabilities of the port, which lies outside Antwerp’s main port].’

fine-tuningThe company’s priorities at the moment include ensuring the sales team is able to sell all the items from the ‘relocation menu’ to customers, not just traditional moving services.

‘We have a big challenge and there is a lot to do,’ says Hagan. ‘But we have the road map and the right people on the bus. Right now, we’re fine-tuning the seating arrangements within the bus, and will be all guns blazing for 2015.’

Stephan Geurts, chief operating officer, says the

goal for Gosselin Group is not to expand beyond its 48 offices in 32 countries but, instead, to make constant improvements within its existing network.

‘We want to optimise, and maximise the effect of the rebranding,’ he says. ‘We have hired some new people with much more knowledge, and want to bring in more business.’

Gosselin has also developed common processes and systems to go with the consistent branding.

Smet believes the diversification at the company over recent decades has helped to provide stability for the group through tough times.

As well as offering services such as the inland container port, and new self-storage facilities in Antwerp – which were opened last September – the company builds its own wooden liftvans. Gosselin Export Packers is one of its businesses, making crating that is purchased by many people within the industry.

‘Moving, as we all know, is a very seasonal business. We always have to struggle our way through winter to get back to peak season. But the diversification at Gosselin helps us; we have cash flow and income coming from our other businesses,’ says Smet.

‘The year ahead is where we need to see these results really come about as a result of the changes we started in 2013 – especially in the moving and relocation side of our business, as we have put so much focus on this.’

‘We are looking forward to continuing what we started 35 to 40 years ago,’ concludes Smet. ‘If we increase business as much as we have been able to in the past 30 years, then things look good!’

‘All our ducks are in a row and I can see all sorts of opportunities emerging for us’

Gosselin’s own inland container port in Antwerp started operations in 2002