The Commercial Court of Lille Métropole has declared Ziegler France and its subsidiary Satra bankrupt. As a result, approximately 1,500 employees are losing their jobs.
Ziegler France is the French subsidiary of the Belgian company Ziegler, once a household name in the transportation industry, with headquarters in Brussels. With more than 2,500 business bankruptcies in the French road transport sector last year – an unprecedented level in 30 years – Ziegler France is certainly not an isolated case.
“Colossal losses”
Ziegler France, headquartered in Roncq, near Lille, and with approximately 50 branches throughout France, has been undergoing judicial reorganization since early March, and employees were already informed last year of a takeover process. However, no buyers have been found, even though the French government had intervened in the matter, leading to the division’s liquidation, whose operations had already virtually ground to a halt.
With an annual revenue of 445 million euros, the operating result fell from a surplus of 10 million euros in 2024 to a loss of more than 6 million in 2025.
Jean-Louis Borie, the lawyer representing the employees, criticized that employee representatives were left “completely in the dark” about the company’s financial situation, even as it suffered “colossal losses” in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
According to some, the surge in fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East has also greatly exacerbated the situation.
Active in 16 countries
The Ziegler Group, specialized in freight forwarding, road transport, and niche logistics flows, was founded in 1908 and employed 3,200 people worldwide, with the majority based in France.
The group currently operates in 16 countries – from Switzerland to Morocco and South Africa, with approximately 155 offices. It also collaborates with partner companies in another 80 countries.
But the family-owned business faced difficulties in France, one of its largest operational markets, where it once grew to become the European market leader in the transport of French wines and spirits, due to increasing competition, rising costs, and leadership changes.
In late January, Diane Govaerts, the great-granddaughter of Ziegler founder Arthur Joseph Ziegler, was removed from her position as CEO of the transport group with immediate effect. The decision was made by her uncle and Ziegler chairman, Alain Ziegler.
Govaerts took the helm of the company at 32 in late 2018. In 2022, she was named Manager of the Year by Trends-Tendances magazine, the French-language edition of the award.
Anxious waiting
In Belgium, Ziegler has a strong presence with 17 locations, including in the Port of Antwerp and at Brussels Airport. According to the most recent annual report, the company has 324 full-time equivalents and generates approximately 129 million euros in revenue.
Ziegler is also the official freight forwarder and logistics provider for the Brussels Exhibition Center, including events such as Batibouw and the Motor Show.
Despite fierce competition in the Belgian market, with rivals such as Katoen Natie, H. Essers, and Van Moer Logistics, the situation in its home country appears stable for now, with no immediate impact expected. However, developments in France will inevitably weaken the company’s position.
In France, however, the situation remains uncertain for some other group employees. For Ziegler Services and Dornach, two other subsidiaries of Ziegler France with approximately 110 employees and both active in IT services, the court-supervised restructuring process has been extended until April 28. This should provide additional time to review potential takeover offers.
The court will rule on the fate of another subsidiary, Transco, on April 13.
