In line with the economy, the logistics sector is picking up. In the
first half of this year, more logistics property was let and sold
than in the previous year.
The main reason for this is the continued growth of e-commerce. ING's Economics Department even expects webshops to double their market share by 2025. Last year, online shops accounted for 12.5 per cent of retail sales, in 2025 it is expected to be 25 per cent.
These forecasts are driving a surge in logistics property construction. This year, Bol.com and Picnic, among others, built new distribution centres, accounting for thousands of jobs per building.
Downside
NVM Business states, based on research into developments in the industrial space market, that these developments do not bring only benefits. Construction companies also see this trend and are increasingly building distribution centres and warehouses without finding a tenant beforehand. The low interest rate currently makes this attractive to build just like that, but it does introduce unnecessary risks.
Development costs may be down, but NVM says it is still not wise to put money into distribution centres with no destination now. The organisation speaks of speculative realisation of new distribution centres.
