THE OPERATING BASE
A European operating base,
run as one operation.
EFC runs a European operating base for non-EU brands, joining two strengths into one operation: a physical logistics backbone inside Portugal and a market-access layer. That layer handles VAT, including fiscal representation, and provides the importer of record where the import setup needs it. Stock is held, cleared, and dispatched from inside the EU. The brand operates as a local European presence, not a supplier shipping in from outside.
THE TWO STRENGTHS
Two strengths, one operation.
The base is one operation. Its two strengths are the physical backbone that moves goods and the market-access layer. That layer lets a non-EU brand operate legally and sell across the single market. They are not two vendors at a handover: they are the same operation seen from two sides.
STRENGTH ONE
The physical backbone
- Bonded and customs warehousing, fiscal and excise warehousing, and authorised consignee status.
- ANPC-licensed handling of ADR and IMO dangerous goods.
- Controlled-condition handling, including temperature-controlled storage where a product requires it.
- Pallet, shelf, and bulk storage, with national distribution.
- Named European freight lines, in and out of the customs union.
Goods enter the EU customs union and ship from there to customers across the EU.
STRENGTH TWO
The market-access layer
- Importer of Record, so a non-EU brand imports under a resident party.
- Fiscal representation for non-resident businesses.
- Customs clearance and import handling on arrival.
- OSS VAT across the 27 member states.
- The GPSR Responsible Person credential, for consumer products.
- Systems integration that connects a brand store and ERP to run the base remotely.
The layer that lets a non-EU brand operate as a local European presence.
THE BACKBONE
A Portuguese operator,
running since 2005.
The logistics backbone is our partner Warelog, a Portuguese operator running continuously since 2005. Warelog is certified to ISO 9001:2015, recognised as a PME Líder 2025, and awarded the Equal Pay Seal 2024. It runs bonded customs warehousing across Portuguese sites with about 12,000 pallets of capacity. It holds an ANPC licence for ADR and IMO dangerous goods and operates its own European freight lines.
EFC and this established partner run the base as one operation, from the warehouse floor to customs, fulfilment and market access. The brand deals with one operation and one point of contact. The base is certified and already operating today. How the partnership works is set out on the partnership page.
- ISO 9001:2015
- ANPC ADR / IMO licensed
- PME Líder 2025
- Equal Pay Seal 2024
- Vila do Conde 16,000 m2 indoor
- Leixoes / Matosinhos 3,000 m2 indoor
- Arrifana 4,500 m2 added
- Alverca 4,800 m2 indoor
Inside Portugal,
inside the customs union.
The operation runs from five locations in Portugal, run as one operation. They are the warehouse sites at Vila do Conde, Leixoes, Alverca, and Arrifana, plus the EFC seat in Amadora. Portugal sits inside the EU customs union, so goods cleared there move to all 27 member states with no further customs step. The bonded zones run to about 16,000 m2 indoor plus 13,000 m2 outdoor at Vila do Conde. They run to 4,800 m2 at Alverca and 3,000 m2 at Porto and Leixoes. The recently added Arrifana site is not bonded and adds about 4,500 m2 of warehouse capacity.
Named freight lines and corridors.
The backbone runs its own road lines and intermodal routes. The named corridors are set out below, rather than a single line about road, sea, and air.
- Own road lines
- Benelux since 2011, Italy since 2016, the United Kingdom and Switzerland since 2020, and Spain since 2022.
- Italy corridor
- A daily service from Italy and twice weekly from Portugal, through the Gamco partnership.
- Intermodal routing
- Via Amsterdam and Algeciras, and via Amsterdam and Madrid.
- Sea and air
- Sea freight covers FCL and LCL; air freight covers regular and express, with a global agents network.
WHY PORTUGAL
A full member of the union,
at a labour cost well below the EU average.
Portugal sits inside the EU, the euro and the customs union. Goods cleared there move to all 27 member states with no further customs step. Its average hourly labour cost runs well below the EU average, and it opens onto the Atlantic through deep-water ports. That is why the base is built here rather than further inland.
- 19.40 EUR/hr
- 34.90 EUR/hr
- EU since 1986
- Atlantic access
THE AUDIENCE
B2B, D2C, and marketplace, from one pool.
The base serves business buyers, direct-to-consumer orders, and marketplace channels from the same inventory. It supports every sector EFC works with, with the handling conditions each sector needs.
B2B
A wholesale pallet to a business buyer, drawn from the same inventory.
D2C
A direct-to-consumer parcel, picked and dispatched from stock inside the EU.
Marketplace
A marketplace order fulfilled to channel requirements, from the one pool.
THE STANDARDS
The operating standards.
- Same-day order processing
- Before 10:00 CET
- EU delivery window
- 48 to 72 hours
- Inventory accuracy, target
- 99.5%
- Backbone operating history
- 21 years
- Pallet capacity
- ~12,000
- Expansion capacity added
- +4,500 m2
QUESTIONS
The operating base, answered straight.
How does a brand run and see its stock from its own systems?
A brand runs the base remotely through EFC’s integration layer. The layer connects the brand’s store, marketplace, and ERP to the operation and reads stock and movements from the backbone’s warehouse-management system. Inventory, incoming and outgoing movements, and order status are visible without the brand being on site. The base is operated as if it were the brand’s own, from the brand’s own systems.
Does using this base mean my customer becomes someone else’s?
No. The base runs the import, the warehousing, the dispatch, and the returns, but it does not take ownership of your customer. You retain the client and the margin is entirely yours. This is what separates the operating base from a distributor model.
Does the base handle medical or regulated goods?
For goods that need controlled conditions, the base provides storage and handling under the right conditions, including temperature-controlled storage where a product requires it. It does not perform regulatory filings, device certification, or act as a regulatory authorised representative. The GPSR Responsible Person credential it does hold is a separate, consumer-products-only role.
Run from Portugal,
inside the EU, as one operation.
See how stock is released on arrival or held under bond, or read how the two strengths run as one partnership. You can also compare the operating base to a distributor and a classic 3PL.
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