Central And Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecast (2025 - 2030)

Central And Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics Market Trends and Insights

E-grocery Boom & Omni-channel Fulfillment Pressure

Surging online grocery adoption is transforming cold chain network design across the region. Romania’s e-commerce value is forecast to exceed EUR 10 billion (USD 11.03 billion) in 2025 as more than half of consumers shift a portion of food purchases online. Retailers are responding with micro-fulfillment hubs that blend chilled, frozen, and ambient zones, allowing same-day dispatch in major cities. Rohlik Group’s USD 170 million expansion program illustrates the scale of investment, deploying an AI-enabled fulfillment platform that optimizes routing and real-time inventory allocation. Such models shorten last-mile distances, cut spoilage, and raise demand for multi-temperature vehicles capable of fine-grained delivery windows. As a result, cold chain providers are partnering with omnichannel retailers to co-locate stock in high-density automated cubes that free scarce urban land and mitigate labor constraints.

Pharma / Biologics Volume Shift Toward CEE Hubs

Rising biologics and personalized-medicine production is drawing major logistics investments into Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. UPS’s 2025 completion of Frigo-Trans and BPL acquisitions boosted its cryogenic and 2-8 °C capacity across Europe, positioning the firm to handle high-value cell-therapy shipments from new regional plants. DHL Group followed suit by purchasing CRYOPDP, a specialist moving more than 600,000 temperature-sensitive consignments each year. With 80% of pharmaceutical products requiring strict temperature management, 3PLs are scaling validated packaging, redundant power systems, and GDP-compliant monitoring for route visibility. The multiplier effect cascades into demand for specialized air cargo containers, ultra-low warehouses, and rapid-clearance customs corridors, reinforcing the Central and Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics market’s premium growth segment.

EU Food-safety Compliance Tightening (HACCP, GDP)

The European Commission is raising the compliance bar by broadening Listeria responsibilities to every food operator from July 2026. Parallel adoption of Regulation 2023/915 imposes stricter contaminant thresholds, compelling continuous temperature tracking across storage and transit stages. Operators are integrating IoT sensors with automated audit trails that satisfy HACCP documentation and GDP validation. Academic assessments show contaminant reductions after HACCP roll-outs, underscoring the financial incentive for early adopters. Compliance-ready platforms differentiate providers in tender processes and encourage consolidation as smaller fleets struggle to fund necessary system upgrades.

High-density Automated Frozen Warehouses Cut OPEX

Automated cube storage is redefining cost structures. AutoStore’s multi-temperature grid lowers energy consumption by up to 40% while condensing space by 12.5%. Lineage complements robotics with dynamic energy profiling to shift loads toward off-peak tariffs, shrinking utility bills and carbon intensity.. SSI SCHAEFER’s shuttle-based high bay designs add vertical pallet density, reducing greenfield land needs. Labor-scarce urban hubs benefit most as automation offsets rising wage pressure and ensures 24/7 uptime. Technology vendors now integrate WMS, conveyor, and predictive maintenance modules, enabling operators to win long-term contracts linked to performance guarantees.

Volatile Energy Prices for Refrigeration

Energy remains the largest variable cost in cold storage, accounting for around one-fifth of electricity consumption in global logistics facilities electricity and gas markets have experienced sharp swings since 2022, constraining investment and eroding margins, particularly for financially leveraged operators. In response, players such as HOPI Logistics have rolled out photovoltaic arrays and waste-heat recovery to hedge tariff spikes, supported by EU co-financing^{[3]“Energy shocks, corporate investment and potential implications for future EU competitiveness,” European Central Bank, ecb.europa.eu} . Expanded demand response schemes and corporate renewable PPAs are gaining traction to stabilize cost bases.

Surging F-gas Phase-down Refrigerant Costs

Regulation 2024/573 accelerates the F-gas quota reduction, sending HFC prices soaring by up to 1,000% relative to 2014 benchmarks. Natural refrigerants such as CO₂ and propane, priced at 5-15 EUR/kg, are increasingly favored, yet retrofits require capital and skilled technicians^{[4]“High GWP Refrigerants Face Soaring Prices,”Green Cooling Initiative, green-cooling-initiative.org} . Compliance now mandates digital license tracking via the F-Gas portal, adding administrative overhead. Some operators explore eutectic plate and hydrocarbon alternatives, though safety and system-design complexities slow adoption..

Segment Analysis

By Service Type: Automation Anchors Storage Leadership

Refrigerated storage delivered 51% of the Central and Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics market share in 2024, anchored by demand for compliant warehousing from both food and life-science shippers. Multi-level high-bay sites equipped with shuttle systems continue to attract capital as tenants favor long leases tied to GDP and HACCP accreditation. The Central and Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics market size attributable to value-added services is projected to climb 4.30% CAGR through 2030, as shippers outsource packaging, kitting, and vendor-managed inventory to reduce complexity.

Investment trends point to fully integrated nodes combining rail access and cross-dock operations that speed throughput for frozen and chilled commodities. Lineage’s USD 223 million ColdPoint Logistics purchase added 62,000 pallet positions along a strategic meat-protein corridor, illustrating investor appetite for scale assets. Meanwhile, EU-funded TEN-T upgrades are boosting refrigerated transportation demand by shortening line-haul times and trimming spoilage risk. As operators bundle real-time monitoring with customs brokerage and regulatory filing, service integration becomes a decisive tender criterion, shifting competition away from rate-based bidding toward technology credentials.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Temperature Type: Frozen Leads, Ultra-Low Gains Traction

The frozen range (-18 °C to 0 °C) accounted for 47% of the Central and Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics market size in 2024, propelled by protein exports and rising frozen meal penetration. AutoStore’s multi-temperature grids enhance ROI by co-locating frozen and chilled SKUs, shrinking facility footprints and delivering uniform picking speed. Chilled capacity remains essential for dairy and produce flows into urban centers, though growth lags the frozen sub-segment amid tightened shelf-life controls.

Ultra-low and cryogenic storage is the fastest-growing niche, mirroring biotechnology expansion. UPS now offers cryopreservation down to -196 °C, supporting cell-therapy and mRNA vaccine pipelines. Ambient-controlled logistics continues to complement cold segments for temperature-sensitive chemicals, enabling consolidated loads that improve vehicle utilization. Across all ranges, IoT tags and blockchain audit chains are standardizing, delivering lane-level temperature analytics that underpin continuous-improvement contracts.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Application: Pharmaceuticals Capture Premium Yield

Meat and poultry retained 21% revenue share in 2024, benefiting from robust regional processing output and intra-EU trade flows. However, pharmaceuticals and biologics recorded the highest 5.40% CAGR outlook as multinational drug makers localize fill-finish plants to tap skilled labor and cost advantages. GLP-1 obesity therapeutics alone generated USD 53.6 billion worldwide sales in 2023, creating surging demand for 2-8 °C distribution channels.

Fruits and vegetables maintain steady throughput underpinned by EU contaminant ceilings that necessitate continual chilled custody. Fish and seafood volumes rise in tandem with expanded cold-chain port infrastructure, while ready-to-eat meals enjoy tailwinds from busy urban lifestyles. Within life sciences, vaccines and clinical-trial materials comprise the highest yield lane, driving investment in redundancy-heavy infrastructure capable of tolerating stringent excursion thresholds.

Geography Analysis

Romania led the Central and Eastern Europe Cold Chain Logistics market with a 29% share in 2024, bolstered by its role as an e-commerce gateway for southeastern Europe. Trendyol’s decision to site a distribution hub near Bucharest validates the country’s connectivity to both EU and Black Sea routes. Domestic consolidation is accelerating: Ahold Delhaize’s pending acquisition of Profi’s 1,650-store network strengthens modern trade penetration, raising inbound chilled and frozen flows EY.COM. International operators such as NewCold have secured land for automated storage facilities, signaling confidence in long-term throughput growth.

Poland is the quickest-expanding geography with a forecast 4.20% CAGR. Warehouse stock surpassed 35 million m² in early 2025, supported by Panattoni’s mega-hub developments and Lineage’s regional headquarters in Warsaw. Extensive TEN-T funding is modernizing north-south and east-west rail links, cementing Poland’s status as the EU’s dominant road-freight market. Logistics groups such as Raben are layering cross-dock terminals on new rail interchanges to synchronize modal shifts and carve emissions out of supply chains.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary form a manufacturing triangle that feeds automotive and electronics supply chains, driving demand for specialized cold chain capacity. The Czech retail park pipeline exceeds 220,000 m² through 2026, attracting chilled consolidation centers that serve discount grocers. Slovakia’s Sereď fulfillment facility leased by LPP showcases the push toward regional omni-channel distribution sites with multi-temperature bays. Hungary’s Danube positioning makes it integral to hinterland flows from Black Sea ports to Central Europe. Remaining CEE markets are catching up through EU-supported digital customs platforms and shared-user warehouses that lower entry barriers for exporters.