entrepôts

Entrepôt (plural entrepôts) is a term from French meaning a warehouse or depot. In commerce, an entrepôt is a place where goods are imported, stored, and then re-exported or transshipped to other markets. The concept emphasizes the role of storage and distribution as a relay point in international trade, rather than of final consumption at the site of entry. Entrepôts can operate under customs procedures that allow temporary storage or bonded warehousing, sometimes enabling duty exemptions until the goods leave the territory.

Functions include storage and consolidation for transport efficiency, transshipment between different modes or routes, and value-added services such as sorting, labeling, or packaging. They may be located in free ports or bonded areas to facilitate transit trade, reduce handling costs, and buffer supply chains.

Historically, entrepôts emerged as key nodes in global commerce. Medieval and early modern cities such as Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam, and later London, developed entrepôt functions to channel goods between Europe and Asia and the Americas. In Asia, prominent entrepôts grew at ports like Guangzhou, Manila, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region.

Today, the term often overlaps with modern distribution centers and free trade zones. While a warehouse stores goods for use or sale, an entrepôt emphasizes redistribution, re-export, and efficient passage of goods through a region as part of global logistics networks.