The Paradox of Logistics in Europe

Abstract

The completion of the Single European Market in 1992 has major implications for logistics throughout the 1990s and beyond. However, as logistics has come under the spotlight, many managers and academics have come to realize that their understanding of the field is limited. In particular, both the differences in practice between countries and the future directions for innovation in logistics remain obscure. This paper focuses on manufacturers and retailers ‐ both key players in many European supply chains ‐ to assess the current and future development of logistics. It then develops a market segmentation model for logistics services which is applied to a selected number of countries. Application of the model shows it to be a useful tool in developing an understanding of the European marketplace for logistics services.