Record high warehouse demand from logistics firms in H1 2014

Logistics operators leased some 254,500 sqm of warehouse space over the first six months of 2014, which corresponds to 48.3 percent of the entire net demand for warehouse space in Poland, according to JLL figures. By comparison, in 2013, third-party logistics companies leased 171,000 sqm of new space (36 percent of the total net demand) and in 2012 their demand accounted for 42 percent of net take-up. “This means that a lot of firms decide against running their own warehouses. Instead they outsource it to companies specializing in warehousing and logistics services, which offer not only space but also machines, people and even specialist computer software,” explained Tomasz Olszewski, head of Industrial Department at JLL. Retail chains took up 19.3 percent of all the new space leased in H1 2014. “The number of new stores being opened is no longer that high, so retailers are looking for a competitive edge in operational efficiency, delivery times and low costs. We can see that retail chains are gearing up to compete also on this level,” Olszewski explained. About 15 percent of all demand came from the e-commerce sector, JLL estimates. “Some of this demand is included in the retail chains category and some under logistics operators,” Olszewski added.