Photo: baodautu.vn

The new office's location puts Seafrigo at the heart of economic activity in the south, as Ho Chi Minh City is home to Vietnam's top exporters of seafood and fruit, with several major ports and airports nearby. The new office will cater to exports and imports, focusing on seafood and tropical fruit.

Vietnam's free-trade agreements with the EU and Asia-Pacific countries means the country has ample development potential for cold-storage services.

According to data by FiinGroup Vietnam, the total designed capacity of cold storage in Vietnam recorded a noticeable increase during the last four years with a compound annual growth rate 2020-2023 of 13.1 per cent thanks to the active investment from new players.

Particularly, Vietnam’s cold storage segment comprised over 100 commercial cold storage providers with a total designed capacity of 1.24 million pallets last year. Most cold storage capacity is in the south, serving the demand from aqua processing companies and import-export activities.

For more than 40 years, Seafrigo has been developing a worldwide food-logistics network within the refrigerated-goods space, leading to business partnerships with global brands. The company, based in Le Havre, France, is growing rapidly in both its domestic market and internationally, with its own infrastructure in 32 countries.

Seafrigo has appointed Fabian Hautiere to head up operations in Vietnam as managing director. Hautiere joins Seafrigo from Kuehne Nagel, where he was national key account manager specialising in consumer goods. He also has extensive experience on the operational side of the business from when he worked as a senior supply chain manager for a fine-food import company. He has lived in Vietnam for the past 12 years.