# Cold storage logistics facts 2026

- Canonical page: https://pipetidy.com/industry-facts/cold-storage-logistics-statistics
- Author: Hudson Paul, Cofounder and research editor, Pipetidy
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Last updated: 2026-09-22
- Sources last checked: 2026-09-22

## Direct answer

Cold-chain operators coordinate temperature-sensitive products, capacity, slots, inspections, transport, excursions, claims, and billing. Food products represented 312.2 billion tonne-kilometres of EU road freight in 2024, while Australia and New Zealand report growing transport and warehousing activity—making fast, documented exception handling commercially important.

## Headline facts

- **312.2B tkm** — EU road freight performance for food products, beverages, and tobacco in 2024. ([Eurostat, 2024](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250709-1))
- **261,109** — Australian transport, postal, and warehousing businesses at June 2026. ([Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/latest-release))
- **NZ$11.75B** — New Zealand transport, postal, and warehousing sales in the June 2026 quarter. ([Stats NZ, 2026 Q2](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/business-financial-data-June-2026-quarter/))

## Regional context

### United States

All 50 states and the District of Columbia. The SBA counted 36.2 million U.S. small businesses in its 2025 profile release. Food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, grocery, and exports create specialized refrigerated warehousing and transport requirements.

Source: [SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025](https://advocacy.sba.gov/2025/06/30/new-advocacy-report-shows-the-number-of-small-businesses-in-the-u-s-exceeds-36-million/)

### Southeast United States

Pipetidy's target states: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. These seven states contain about 5.49 million small businesses and roughly 8.8 million small-business employees. Poultry, produce, ports, pharmaceuticals, seafood, grocery distribution, and long warm seasons heighten cold-chain importance.

Source: [SBA state profiles, 2025](https://advocacy.sba.gov/2025/06/30/2025-small-business-profiles-for-the-states-territories-and-nation/)

### United Kingdom

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK had about 114,000 VAT/PAYE-registered transport and storage businesses and 141,000 agriculture, forestry, and fishing businesses in 2025. Food imports, domestic distribution, grocery networks, and pharmaceuticals create dense storage and transport handoffs.

Source: [Office for National Statistics, 2025](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/ukbusinessactivitysizeandlocation/2025)

### Northern Europe

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden for this factsheet series. Eurostat's structural business statistics cover detailed enterprise activity across EU and EFTA markets, including transport, storage, rental, repair, and trade. Seafood, dairy, meat, pharmaceuticals, ferries, and winter conditions make traceable temperature and exception records essential.

Source: [Eurostat structural business statistics](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/structural-business-statistics)

### Central Europe

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary for this factsheet series. Central Europe contains several of the EU's largest freight and industrial markets; Germany and Poland together produced almost 35% of EU road-freight tonne-kilometres in 2024. Large food-processing, retail, pharmaceutical, and cross-border distribution markets drive multi-location cold-chain accounts.

Source: [Eurostat road freight, 2025](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250709-1)

### Australia & New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand, reported separately where official statistics differ. Australia had 261,109 transport, postal, and warehousing businesses in 2025-26; New Zealand transport, postal, and warehousing sales reached NZ$11.75 billion in the June 2026 quarter. Export food, meat, dairy, horticulture, pharmaceuticals, and long domestic routes create high-stakes capacity and temperature workflows.

Source: [ABS and Stats NZ, 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/latest-release)

## Methodology

Pipetidy Research selects primary government, statistical-agency, and publisher-original sources. Each figure retains its source period, geography, and classification; unlike measures are not combined into a synthetic global total.

## Limitations

Industry definitions differ by country and statistical system. Regional baselines describe the wider operating market and should not be read as a like-for-like market-size comparison or as evidence of Pipetidy customer outcomes.

## Suggested citation

Paul, Hudson. “Cold storage logistics facts 2026.” Pipetidy Research, P101 LLC. Updated 2026-09-22. https://pipetidy.com/industry-facts/cold-storage-logistics-statistics