Those who want to open a distribution centre in a tactical location should do so in the South or West of the Netherlands. The regions are among one of Europe's most favourable places for e-commerce distribution centres. This is mainly due to their proximity to seaports and road density in the areas.
Price Waterhouse Coopers, commissioned by the Flemish Logistics Institute (VIL), investigated where real estate in the Benelux, Germany, France and the UK is best placed. The regions were assessed using 21 location factors, divided into seven clusters: market proximity, distribution infrastructure, labour market, operational costs, warehouse and land availability, competences and investment climate.
Germany and Wallonia are more favourable than the Netherlands
Of all 44 regions, the South and West of the Netherlands rank fourth and fifth respectively. These regions are outperformed by Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Wallonia in Germany. These regions score higher because the southern and western Netherlands charge higher rents for warehouses and because there is little labour flexibility in the Netherlands. The eastern and northern Netherlands rank22nd and27th respectively. This lower ranking is due to poorer market proximity in those areas.
Logistics Action Programme
The southern and western parts of the Netherlands may well owe their high score to their own efforts. For example, North Limburg has long been working to strengthen its position as a leading logistics region in Europe. This summer, for example, the Logistics Action Programme was launched, a collaboration between some seventy organisations aimed at turning the region into a logistics hotspot. Based on the themes of Smart Hub, Conditioned & Controlled Logistics, E-fulfilment Centre and Sustainable Hub, the region expects to be able to develop much further.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
