Two years after Lidl surprised the shipping industry by launching Tailwind Shipping Lines, the company’s fleet has grown to nine ships, with its largest to date recently starting service. Lidl, part of the Schwartz Group, the fifth-largest retailer in the world, started the new business as a result of delays and shortages in container volumes during the pandemic.
Tailwind’s original plan was to exclusively move non-food sector categories for Lidl from Asia to Europe, but it later expanded to offer services to others. According to reports, the company now has a number of third-party customers.
Lidl operates 12,350 stores and 225 distribution centers in 31 countries, and offers a broad range of consumer goods in addition to fresh food and groceries.
“… We are fast, on time, and reliable,” according to Tailwind’s Christian Stangle. “This is an essential service for us at Lidl, in particular, given our fixed promotion schedule and special offers that change on a weekly basis.”
Tailwind’s primary route is from China to Barcelona, Spain and Koper, Slovenia. It typically calls on smaller, less frequented ports to avoid delays and shorten turnaround times. The company claims to consistently be at the top of the league charts for schedule reliability and punctuality.
What’s more impressive is that many regional shipping and non-shipping companies that were drawn into the container business retreated when the surge in volumes dried up and pricing collapsed last year. However, Tailwind continues to thrive.
