The British logistics provider Clover Group inaugurates its European hub in Wallonia
This is excellent news: the British company Clover Group has chosen Wallonia to establish its continental European base. Clover Group specialises in regulated specialist logistics services for the aerospace and defence sectors.
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Clover Group recently inaugurated its European hub in Fleurus, within the Charleroi Métropole area. An expert in regulated specialist logistics for aerospace and defence, the company had been looking to establish a base in continental Europe since Brexit. After benchmarking several neighbouring countries, Wallonia was selected as the optimal location to serve the European market.
Beyond Wallonia’s core advantages, the support of Wallonia Export & Investment Agency played a decisive role. “It was the guidance of Wallonia Export & Investment Agency that convinced Clover Group to set up in Wallonia, particularly through its responsiveness in identifying suitable sites and connecting us with professionals to properly address all legal, financial and HR aspects of such a project. The people at Wallonia Export & Investment Agency and its partners do crucial work,” explains Yacin Saadi, Vice President of Clover Group Europe. “Shortly after I joined, I steered the choice toward Charleroi and its metropolitan area — a region I know well and which has strong potential, with many companies setting up here.”
Several factors drove the decision to invest in Wallonia, starting with a strong match with Clover Group’s operational fundamentals. “Wallonia is centrally located in Europe with a highly developed multimodal network, ideally positioned between France, the Netherlands and Germany. Regional investment incentives are also a plus, although they were not the decisive factor,” Saadi notes.
He also highlights the strength of the regional ecosystem: “There is above all a rich aerospace and defence ecosystem, with companies such as Sonaca, Thales Alenia Space, Sabena Engineering, Safran Aero Boosters, Aerospacelab, FN Herstal and Mecar — an ecosystem that continues to grow. We have already joined the Skywin aerospace cluster and BSDI, the defence branch of the Agoria technology federation.”
The British group invested more than €2.4 million to refurbish a 1,000 m² building in the Charleroi Métropole area in Fleurus. “We mainly have offices and large warehouse areas. Having significant storage capacity was essential,” Saadi adds.
Clover Group was founded in 1993 by entrepreneur Bernard Lavery. Over the years, it has grown into an international logistics services provider for highly regulated sectors including space, aerospace, defence and security. Now led by Paul Lavery, the group operates a hub in the United States and — from now on — in continental Europe, in Wallonia.
Wallonia is centrally located in Europe with a highly developed multimodal network. Wallonia is ideally positioned between France, the Netherlands and Germany
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The role of Wallonia Export & Investment Agency
Wallonia Export & Investment Agency played a key role in this foreign direct investment project. At the end of 2020, amid Brexit uncertainty, its specialised UK partner consultant Frenger identified Clover Group’s strong interest in establishing a European base.
Wallonia Export & Investment Agency organised site visits in Wallonia, thematic meetings and essential introductions — including with the British Chamber of Commerce EU–Belgium and the Walloon public authorities — to prepare the investment. In May 2023, Charleroi-based Yacin Saadi was entrusted by Bernard and Paul Lavery to lead the Clover Group Europe project, delivering it “on time and on budget,” as highlighted by the group’s leadership at the inauguration.
Saadi praised the support provided: “We held monthly progress meetings. From the start, the contacts were excellent. Wallonia Export & Investment Agency helped us by answering many questions, particularly regarding permits and dual-use goods licences. Initially, the plan was a greenfield project in Strépy Sud — one of several options proposed — but because that would have taken longer, we shifted to refurbishing an existing building to become operational faster, in close coordination with Wallonia Export & Investment Agency and its partners.”
