On 1 June 2026, Parodi Forwarding, a Genoese customs broker with more than 40 years of operations, became part of Gaston Schul Group. Dutch company Gaston Schul Customs & Trade Control, based in Venlo, Limburg, acquired the entire share capital of Parodi Forwarding, in parallel with its acquisition of Austria’s Markart & Schmid Zollservice. These two simultaneous deals take the number of European countries in which the Dutch group operates directly to 13.
Parodi Forwarding will retain its name, brand, headquarters in Genoa and entire workforce. The company, led by Manlio Marino as director, also has a warehouse in Tortona, in the province of Alessandria, covering more than 14,000 square metres. Its figures show a sustained growth trajectory: turnover rose from €7.65m in 2022 to €8.21m in 2023 and then to €9.27m in 2024, with a net profit of €496,000. Estimates for 2025 point to turnover of about €10.5m. The company holds AEO certification and has been awarded the Cribis Prime Company 2025 mark, given to the top 8% of Italian companies for economic and commercial reliability. Parodi Forwarding’s portfolio covers sea, air and road freight, import, export, transit and warehousing customs procedures, integrated logistics and storage. The company has a longstanding specialisation in the agri-food sector, particularly in the handling of dried fruit and oils.
Founded in 1845, Gaston Schul is one of Europe’s oldest customs operators, with more than 180 years in business. The group has more than 350 professionals across 16 operating sites. Its offer is structured around five areas: customs clearance, including import, export, transit, customs warehousing, excise duty management and fiscal representation; customs technology with a digital portal and EDI/API integration; consultancy on customs classification, CBAM and EUDR; orchestration of multi-country flows through a Control Tower; and specialised training through the Customs Academy. The group has obtained AEO certification across all its European operating areas.
The group’s recent expansion has moved at a rapid pace. In 2022, the acquisition of Oslo Customs Brokers opened up the Norwegian market; in 2024, it launched a site in Sweden, in Strömstad; in January 2025, the acquisition of Zoll-Fit GmbH took the group into Switzerland; in April 2025, operations in Łódź, Poland, were strengthened; and in June 2025, a new Danish site in Frederikshavn was announced. At the same time, operations in France were expanded. Italy and Austria are the latest pieces in this strategy.
The group’s CEO, Sander van Lent – a lawyer by training with experience at Simmons & Simmons, TNT, Ceva and DSM – explained the reasons for the acceleration: "Our strategy remains the same. However, developments in the fields of artificial intelligence, digitalisation and the future customs reform of the European Union require us to accelerate. With our growing European footprint, strong expertise and digital-first approach, we believe we are well positioned for the next phase of growth". On the Italian acquisition, he added that "in Parodi we found a team whose approach to customs work and whose view of long-term customer relationships reflected our own from the very first meeting".
Manlio Marino confirmed full operational continuity and transparency with the company’s stakeholders: "The philosophy, people, culture and quality of service that Gaston Schul is building for its customers are aligned with what Parodi has been doing for years". Marino is a prominent figure in Italy’s customs sector: since February 2025, he has been president of the Consiglio Territoriale degli Spedizionieri Doganali della Regione Liguria (Territorial Council of Customs Brokers of the Liguria Region), is a board member of Spediporto and contributes to the magazine "Il Doganalista" with technical articles on case law and the reform of European customs law. He said the decision to join the group was driven by the need to build a stronger structure ahead of a phase of sector consolidation expected over the next three or four years.
That forecast is supported by market analysis. Gaston Schul’s main competitor at European level is Customs Support Group (CSG), controlled by Luxembourg private equity fund Castik Capital, which is pursuing a similar expansion strategy through systematic acquisitions. CSG is already present in Italy through two deals: in 2021, it acquired Sernav (Servizi per la Navigazione), based in Milan, and in December 2024 it took over Servizi Doganali in Livorno, founded in 1979 and specialised in the import of fruit and vegetables from Africa, Central America and Egypt, with 2023 turnover of €3.3m. Both Dutch groups share the same underlying view: to offer European companies a single, controlled customs provider across the continent, with uniform quality standards and integrated digital technologies. The difference lies in the ownership model: Gaston Schul has remained privately owned and independent, while CSG answers to an investment fund.
Anna Maria Boidi
