E.Leclerc shifts freight to rail‑road mix
Michel‑Edouard Leclerc outlined a decarbonation push that uses rail‑road logistics with partners like Lahaye Global Logistics to move 1,200+ caisses and cut over 720 tons of CO2 announced. It's a concrete French retail case of modal shift delivering measurable emissions and supply‑chain efficiency gains.
Leclerc framed the move as the result of a 25‑year partnership with Lahaye Global Logistics (michel-edouard-leclerc.com) and noted that Lahaye is led by Matthieu Lahaye, whose group employs about 1,700 people. (bretagne-economique.com) The initiative channels freight from large food manufacturers — Entremont, Lactalis, Bigard, Candia and Kronenbourg were specifically named — over established axes such as Lille‑Rennes‑Lyon. (michel-edouard-leclerc.com) Lahaye reported that combined rail‑route activity accounted for roughly 8% of group revenue in 2024, about €20 million, while its Trans‑Fer unit handles around 15,000 UTI per year. (transportinfo.fr) Its Be Modal commercial arm ran 235 trains in the referenced period and projected to operate 550 trains in 2025 after launching the Rennes‑Vénissieux service, which offers 10 rotations per week. (transportinfo.fr) At the Rennes terminal Lahaye logged about 420,000 tonnes moved and 18,000 caisses handled in 2024, and the group is studying new lines toward Le Havre and the French South‑East for 2027. (letelegramme.fr) Operational changes cited include loading P400 semi‑trailers onto wagons to raise modal flexibility (letelegramme.fr) and expanding train lengths from ~400m to ~700m with tonnages rising from ~1,000 t to 1,800 t to lift capacity. (transportinfo.fr)
