Constellation has built a strong position as the leading cold storage provider in Belgium, starting from the acquisitions of Stockhabo and Frigologix. Both companies have a rich heritage.

Stockhabo was founded in 2002 by Xavier Haspeslagh and his wife, Christine Bouckaert. Xavier was equipped with a decade of experience working for one of Europe’s leading frozen fruit and vegetable producers, Ardo. The pair opened their first cold stores in the southern border town of Mouscron, several miles north of Lille, France.

The strong revenue growth and customer satisfaction experienced by both firms brought them success. In 2010, Stockhabo acquired rival Devagel (now Constellation GEL) to double the firm’s storage capacity in Mouscron, before the opening of the new ‘ICE’ facility in 2016 as one of the firm’s major capital investments. The site was expanded in 2019 with HB1, a 60,000-pallet position state-of-the-art fully automated, high-bay warehouse. 

After investment from Constellation, Stockhabo acquired Frigologix in 2021. Frigo, a Dutch cold storage and logistics provider, was founded in 1973 in Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands, by the Van Elderen family. The family had a strong entrepreneurial background in the food industry, having been involved in the export of beef from Ireland. Frigo’s international expansion in 1998 (named Frigologix) saw the opening of a facility in Lommel, strategically placed to serve Brussels, Antwerp and Maastricht. The company later leased a facility in Herk-de-Stad, following additional demand from customers.

Constellation continued to invest in the Belgian operation after the acquisitions. 2022 saw the opening of the fully automated HB2 facility in Mouscron, boasting 28,500 pallet positions and a solar array. There were also several capital investments completed in this period in improving the energy and operational efficiency of the sites.

Constellation has a strong pipeline of investment plans in Belgium in the near future, which will enable the continued rapid growth of the business to meet our customer’s ambitions.