1. www.fidi.org | february/march 2015 | Page 53
Globalreach,
familyfeel
T
he 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
continues over

2. www.fidi.org | february/march 2015 | Page 55
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 purpose
Smet 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
continues over
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.
Morethanjustwarehousingin‘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’

3. www.fidi.org | february/march 2015 | Page 57
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.
2014Gosselin Self Storage opens
its doors
KeyeventsinGosselinGroup’shistory
continues over
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

4. www.fidi.org | february/march 2015 | Page 59
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-tuning
The 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