Reassessing the wholesaler role in urban freight distribution

The actors who are traditionally examined in the context of urban freight distribution are the local Authorities and the logistics service providers, who have implemented urban platforms to reduce the negative impacts of an anarchic development of product flows. Very few works have studied the central position of wholesalers in the urban freight distribution. The aim of this viewpoint is to discuss how wholesalers have developed an essential logistical expertise that could be useful for local Authorities.