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title: Pharma and food retail were the cold chain’s largest customers in 2020
description: The outbreak of COVID-19 changed ‘business as usual’. But how much did it impact Thermo King sales? Regional Sales Director Jorge Estelle Caro gives his insights
---
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# Pharma and food retail were the cold chain’s largest customers in 2020
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The outbreak of COVID-19 has had unseen effects on our economy. Of course, it impacted our sales as well. “Luckily, we are in a sector that is essential to the peoples’ life and well-being,” answers Jorge Estelle Caro, Regional Sales Director in Germany. We talked about his sales experience during 2020.
> People still buy fresh foods and medicine. Luckily, we work in a sector that is essential to peoples’ life.
## Pharma x food retail: booming business
“In some sectors, we lost a lot of customers. Specifically, when you consider certain segments of last-mile deliveries. Schools, restaurants, company canteens… they all closed down during the lockdown. Of course, this affected the sale of [our truck refrigeration units and our small truck segment (Ce series)](https://europe.thermoking.com/direct-drive/ce-series/).”
“Other sectors within the last mile continued to grow during this pandemic,” knows Jorge Estelle Caro.
- **Food retail**: With people stuck at home, and restaurants closed down, food retailers increased in popularity throughout Europe in 2020. Especially the Home delivery segment increased.
- **Pharmaceuticals**: “Since all the vaccines are transported between specific temperature intervals, this segment grew too – but not as much as food retail.”
“You see, people still eat, and pharma products are still being used. So, Thermo King is still needed. Luckily, we work in a sector that is essential to peoples’ life.”
## Popularity of trailer products
“Fleet managers continued to invest in new equipment – especially those active in food retail and pharma.”
“Our customers favored products related to this sector. [The E-200 (for last-mile pharma and food deliveries)](https://europe.thermoking.com/direct-drive/e-series/e-200/) and [our trailer portfolio – since we launched a new TRU, Advancer](https://europe.thermoking.com/advancer/).”
> Our customers are choosing our product and our reliable network.
## Outstanding dealer network: making 2020 a success
“What made fleet managers choose Thermo King – aside from our market-leading products? Our outstanding dealer network, of course!” says Jorge Estelle Caro.
“If our customers have to deliver a fresh load of salmon from Oslo to Sevilla, they cross six borders. They need the guarantee that their drivers are within a 2-hour radius of a dealership at all times to ensure that their freight remains intact in case of a breakdown.”
“Our international network of dealers continued to excel in 2020 – even during the outbreak of COVID-19. So, our customers didn’t just choose our products – they chose [the unparalleled service network of Thermo King](https://dealers.thermoking.com/dealer-locator.html).”
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