Partnerships
Omer-Decugis & Cie Partners With SEMMARIS on a 37 M€ Dunkirk Fruit Platform
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- SEMMARIS will invest 37 M€ in the Dunkirk platform's real estate, while Omer-Decugis & Cie invests 10 M€ to 12 M€ in technical installations and equipment.
- The 25,000 m² site will hold 55 ripening chambers, a 4,000-pallet cold storage and packing area, and a 6,000 m² fresh-cut plant.
- Ripening capacity for bananas, mangoes and avocados will rise from 174,000 tonnes to 324,000 tonnes when the site opens at the end of 2027.
Omer-Decugis & Cie will partner with SEMMARIS, the manager of the Marché international de Rungis, to build a fruit storage, conditioning, ripening and preparation platform at the port of Dunkirk, the company said. The FinancialContent Business Page reported that SEMMARIS will invest 37 M€ through its wholly owned subsidiary, while Omer-Decugis & Cie will invest between 10 M€ and 12 M€ in technical installations and equipment.
How the Dunkirk Platform Will Work
SEMMARIS will carry the real estate side of the operation, and Omer-Decugis & Cie Group will lease the platform and operate it. The company will finance the technical installations and equipment itself, using group resources and the syndicated credit concluded in July 2026.
The site will cover 25,000 m² and include a ripening facility of 55 chambers, which the company said will be the largest in France, with a ripening capacity of more than 200,000 cartons per week. It will also have a temperature-controlled storage area of 4,000 pallets and contract packing for the group's customers, plus a 6,000 m² fresh-cut plant. Through a partnership with PrepWorld, a BerryWorld subsidiary, close to 60 million fruit trays are expected to supply the French market each year.
Vincent Omer-Decugis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Omer-Decugis & Cie, said: "En venant compléter nos implantations de Rungis et Sorgues, le site de Dunkerque permettra de constituer le tout premier réseau de mûrissage de fruits en France." Stéphane Layani, President of the Marché international de Rungis, said the SEMMARIS support follows the strategic alliance concluded in July with Dunkerque-Port.
Omer-Decugis' Dunkirk Records
According to akta.pro company records, Omer-Decugis & Cie won the call for proposals launched by the Major Maritime Port of Dunkirk for the construction of a logistics and ripening platform scheduled for 2027, and Nicolas Vangheluwe was appointed director of the Dunkirk site. The same records show a strategic joint venture, PrepWorld France, created on January 7, 2026 between Omer-Decugis & Cie and PrepWorld, the UK fresh-cut fruit division of BerryWorld Limited, owned by AgroBerries Group.
Dunkirk Opening and Capacity Target
The company said the site will open at the end of 2027, when ripening capacity for bananas, mangoes and avocados will rise from 174,000 tonnes to 324,000 tonnes. The platform will add to the group's sites at Rungis and Sorgues.