GEFCO plans in 2010 to begin active development of its business in Kazakhstan and Bulgaria, the logistics company statement said. GEFCO intends to continue its expansion in strategic regions. Currently the Group holds a stable position in the Western, Central and Eastern Europe.

With the same level of profitability, the Group GEFCO showed operating profits in 2009 of € 102 million, representing 3.5% of turnover, compared to 3.6% in 2008. Given the significant downturn in the global automobile industry in the first half of 2009 against the overall unfavorable market, the Group turnover amounted to € 2.888 billion, a 18.3% lower from the results in 2008

Despite the impact of the global economic crisis, the GEFCO Group maintained the same level of profitability through a series of stringent measures by the management to reduce ongoing operating costs and acquisition costs. Also, the large role played by the effective operation of sales, focused on priority markets and coincided with the beginning of recovery of car markets in Western Europe in the fourth quarter of the year, thanks to state intervention, particularly in the form of bonuses for the disposal of old cars.

In 2009, the economic crisis hit heavily the strategic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, and South America.

In Central and Eastern Europe, turnover was at € 278 million, which is 19% below 2008 results.

In South America GEFCO’s turnover reached € 149 million, a 16% drop from a year earlier.

Nevertheless, GEFCO showed good results in other markets, particularly in the Maghreb countries and China, demonstrating a 50% surge in turnover as compared with 2008. (€15 million in 2009 against €10 million in 2008).

GEFCO is logistics company, with its integrated infrastructure in five key areas: integrated logistics cargo transportation, warehousing and storage, automotive, marine and air transport, automobile delivery. The company provides global services to a wide range of industries. GEFCO Group is represented in more than 150 countries and is listed among the ten largest logistics operators in Europe with a turnover of 2.9 billion euros in 2009. The Group has a network, numbering about 400 work sites throughout the world with about 9400 employees. The company focused its development in three main regions: Europe, Asia and South America.