Research
All our knowledge has been shared and a huge amount of research has been collated to create the DTRE Databook, a catalogue of information on the UK industrial and logistics occupational and investment markets.
In an increasingly data-driven world, research and insight help us to inform the advice that we offer our clients. This combined with our leasing and investment knowledge gives us the competitive advantage – and helps you stay one step ahead. In addition, we publish opinion pieces, research findings and market reports – keep checking back for regular updates.
The North West occupational markets have held up well despite a wider UK slowdown in occupier demand. Whilst overall take-up volumes are down on the 5-year average they are up 15% in the Big Box (100,000 sq ft +) sector in the first six months of 2023 when compared to the last six months of 2022.
As we pass the halfway point of 2023, office and laboratory take up in Cambridge has reached its highest level for the same period since the peak of 2019. To date, take up stands at 259,100 sq ft, a 138% increase on H1 2022, and 32% above the H1 5-year average.
At a quick glance, the storied City of London - the nation’s financial hub - has little in common with the UK’s life sciences sector. It’s suits, not lab coats. But, can many of the same characteristics that make the City the country’s financial engine room also power something special in life sciences?
Six months into 2023 and whilst take-up volumes have remained robust, it is clear that we are now entering the new ‘Post-Covid’ phase. At the end of H1 2023 take-up stands at 11.6 million sq ft, down 44% year-on-year and closer to the pre-Covid (2007-19) average of 14 million sq ft.
Over the past six months, you may have heard various adaptations of the phrases ‘sticky market’, ‘re-adjustment’, ‘the new normal’ or ‘protracted decision making’ when discussing the current state of the industrial and logistics market. However, you will also have heard that ‘rental growth is still robust’, ‘supply is still tight’ and that there is a ‘flight to new-build quality product’.
Oxford is a true innovation cluster and is home to globally recognised research and development programs offered by the University.
Cambridge has opened the year by solidifying its position as the prominent life science and innovation hub, witnessing its highest levels of occupier demand and take up since 2019 as office and laboratory take up reached 142,000 sq ft, an 80% increase on the Q1 5-year average.
After three record breaking years, the occupational market has seen a slowdown from the pandemic induced retail highs thus far in 2023. Given the wider macro-economic picture, this is not an unjustified concern. Nonetheless, the fundamentals within the sector still remain considerably in the landlord’s favour, with supply remaining tight and record rents continuing to be set across the board, particularly for new and/or well located units.
Following the pandemic there was a surge in venture capital funding looking to invest in Life Science companies at many points along their journeys. The venture capitalists were less worried about business failure than they were about missing the chance of discovering a unicorn. In 2021, £4.5bn was raised in the UK for life sciences. In 2022, as the macroeconomic picture started to worsen, the funding taps which were a deluge in 2021 turned towards a steady flow in 2022 with £3bn being raised (still the second best year on record). By no means has the fundraising dried up, but without a doubt it has become more selective and the “COVID Effect” receded.
On the back of our most successful and well attended Eurologix event, with over 550 market participants mingling alongside our co-sponsor clients Prologis, Tritax and Oxenwood, we thought it would be fitting to summarise our view on the current dynamic of European Logistics market.
2022 was another strong year for industrial real estate, with demand the 3rd highest on record. Swathes of warehousing was taken up by logistics occupiers in a race for space only surpassed by the two ‘Covid’ years prior. All of this without Amazon even taking a single square foot, illustrated a depth to the market that some had questioned. New sectors announced their entry into the market and new entrants made a splash and 2023 has continued in a similar vein with occupier demand still high and vacancy low - at 3.65%. However, there is a rising trend to monitor. Grey Space.
Men are from Mars and women are...well, let’s just say we’re certainly not - that’s why I’m a firm advocate that workplace diversity leads to increased productivity. We think, process and action in different ways - and that’s ok! On realising it was International Women’s Day this week, it got me thinking about my own personal experience around this topic as a female logistics expert. Property is a male dominated industry, as we all know, and this is arguably most acute in the industrial sector - nonetheless, this has been my bread and butter for the past 10 years and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Cambridge has long been a prominent hub for science and technology and has continued to demonstrate this in 2022 with active demand for laboratory space alone totalling 1.2 million sq ft. Combined, office and laboratory demand was in excess of 2.0 million sq ft.
Despite the gathering storm clouds in the latter third of 2022, in-particular, Big Box take-up during Q4 2022 reached 10.8 million sq ft bringing the annual total for 2022 to 40.8 million sq ft. Whilst this was down 25% on the record 54.7 million sq ft recorded in 2021, it was 67% ahead of the average annual level of take-up we saw from 2009 to 2019.
Despite the well documented economic challenges facing many businesses and consumers, the UK’s Big Box Logistics occupational market has continued to outperform expectations. Q3 2022 has seen just over 8.2 million sq ft of take-up, 11% ahead of the quarterly average since 2012, but down on the Covid-induced peaks of 2020 and 2021.
Big Box take up in Q2 2022 has reached 9.3 million sq ft, bringing the half-year total take up to 20.1 million sq ft, exceeding the 10-year average of 18.3 million sq ft and by the end H1, 2022 has therefore experienced the third highest ever take up.
My previous ‘Credible Thinking’ piece, written from my living room in the depths of lockdown #1, highlighted the incredible performance in the ‘Big Box’ (300,000 sq ft+) market since start of the pandemic. It’s safe to say, this trend has not abated in the 21 months since. In 2021, take up in the ‘Big Box’ market equated to 29.4m sq ft, which is the equivalent of 59% of total figures for the year (100,000 sq ft +). Occupiers’ flight to ‘bigger is better’ has become very apparent as they are looking to improve their supply chains. As a result of this, there are currently only three available new build units that are immediately available to occupy over 300,000 sq ft (excluding those under offer and/or under construction).
The first three months of 2022 has seen just over 10 million sq ft of take-up, 40% ahead of the quarterly average since 2010, as occupier demand for new logistics space shows little sign of slowing down at present.
If it’s not one thing it’s another. With Covid seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increasing cost of living crisis, caused by a mix of soaring inflation and fiscal own goals, has darkened the mood around the UK’s economy.
Omicron. The latest Covid variant threw a spanner, albeit hopefully only temporarily, into the UK’s recovery prior to Christmas. Now we have come out the other side it’s becoming clear that the path ahead remains mixed
2021 was a record year for occupier demand in the Big Box world with 49.5 million sq ft of take-up, a touch ahead of the previous record set in 2020 of 48.7 million sq ft. Whilst 2021 was a record year it should be viewed together with 2020 as the beginning of a new era for the Big Box...
The thirst for Big Box warehousing remains unquenchable, however, the lack of built supply in the market is now impacting take-up. Q3 saw a touch over 8.2 million sq ft transact, the lowest level of quarterly take-up since the pandemic hit in Q1 2020.
The South East office market has returned well from a chaotic 2020, with take-up to end June 2021 reaching 2.1 million sq ft, up 59% on the same period in 2020. Despite the well touted ‘death of the office’ demand in Q2 has reached close to 1.25 million sq ft, the best quarter in the last 6 years.
The record levels of occupier demand witnessed in 2020 have shown no signs of slowing so far in 2021, and with occupier take-up reaching just over 23.6 million sq ft, we could be on course to at least match, if not surpass 2020’s record year. Seemingly, the only hindrance to demand? An acute lack of supply.
Already a huge growth area in retail, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales were sent into overdrive over the past eighteen months when stores were forced to close around the world, and according to Rakuten Intelligence, DTC e-commerce sales jumped over 200% during the first week of lockdown last year (March 23 to 30), compared with a 14% uplift in e-commerce sales overall.
Steph and Jamie joined DTRE in January 2021 and sit in DTRE’s Industrial Investment team. This Credible Thinking article deals with how they have found integrating themselves into a new job with the backdrop of a pandemic.
2020 was a year like no other for many of the reasons we are all very much aware, but it was also a year like no other for Big Box Logistics, which witnessed a record level of demand, with over 46.5m sq ft of take-up. A remarkable outcome considering the twin threats of Brexit and Covid, and 2021 has not yet seen any slowdown.
2020 was an extraordinary year for the logistics and warehouse sector with reported take up of 45m sq ft for units over 100,000 sq ft, an increase of approximately 29% over the previous record set in 2016. Online retailers and 3PL’s sharing the vast majority of the headlines.… but Amazon steal the show.
The South East Office leasing markets has struggled over the last 12 to 18 months. Firstly, it was the hesitation around Brexit and then from March last year it was the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The result when looking at the data has been a year of limited take-up, with just 2.7m sq ft of take-up, the worst year we have on record since 2009.
At first the concept of working from home was more of an excitement for most. There was no need to commute which meant more hours in the day and more money in the bank account. Increased flexibility made it easier to go for those long summer night walks / runs, and perhaps more time to spend with the family. As we are at the start of the dark winter nights and cold weather, lockdown 2.0 has really raised questions on what factors are important in our everyday lives.
The South East office market has suffered significant challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the future of offices the talk of much debate. Whilst looking at take-up numbers and investment volumes is rather futile in this climate, they don’t make pretty reading. However, there’s plenty of room for optimism, as we’ll discuss...
The world has changed in the last 9 months but without dwelling on all the external factors surrounding Covid-19 , the global pandemic and resultant economic turmoil that has followed, there is one sector of the property industry that has come through unscathed.
In an increasingly data-driven world, research and insight help us to inform the advice that we offer our clients. This combined with our leasing and investment knowledge gives us the competitive advantage – and helps you stay one step ahead. In addition, we publish opinion pieces, research findings and market reports – keep checking back for regular updates.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic and debilitating effect on all economies and markets across the globe. From China in the East across to the USA, seemingly no nation will be left untouched by the virus, but aside from the obvious health warnings, how else will COVID-19 affect the markets and particularly property, moving forward?
The last five months have been unusual by anyone’s standards. Despite the huge impact that COVID-19 has had on all of our personal and professional lives, it has never been more apparent that we are extremely fortunate to have chosen the industry, and indeed sector, within which we work. I can speak for all of my colleagues when saying how encouraged we have been with the continued demand for ‘big box’ logistics space in the UK since mid-March.
Most agree that enhanced supply chain resilience and deeper penetration of e-commerce are here to stay, which should have a positive impact on the multi-let industrial and logistics sectors, but what evidence of this have we seen so far?
As we prepare the return to our London office on Monday, it seems an age since we left not knowing what scary thing was around the corner. Thankfully, the easing of lockdown and some green shoots in the market it feels there is light directing us towards the exit.
The Industrial Agency team at DTRE has remained busy throughout lockdown. Initially the market witnessed a huge spike in requirements for short term, overflow accommodation; we saw supermarkets, online grocery platforms and government departments all searching for space across the UK. The reality is only a handful of these translated into property transactions. Instead, the supermarkets found an operational need for the surplus space they were marketing and the 3PLs, in particular Eddie Stobart, agreed service arrangements on their ‘grey’ space. We are still witnessing short term requirements, but these have significantly scaled back, both in terms of size and numbers.
We have all known for many years that retailing behaviours have been the main driver behind how logistics has become the UK's best performing and most desirable property asset class. First, we wanted ‘Next-Day’ delivery, then we wanted ‘Same- Day’ delivery, all of which needed to be free of charge including our Returns. As a result, many ‘fast fashion’ retailers had to price in an assumption that over 30% of product would be returned - that all adds cost which we all (unwittingly) pay for!
What does the future hold for office demand? Will occupiers need less space, as more staff work from home, or will they need more space post social distancing, to allow more space between staff on an ongoing basis? The only thing we do know, is that we don’t know what the lasting impact of Covid is going to look like. What’s better known, or perhaps accepted, is that in the short term, there’s going to be pressure on capital. Reduced income set against only marginally reduced costs is never going to produce a particularly comfortable outcome.
In my 20 year office agency career there has been a consistent and constant drive for office efficiency, to pack more bodies in, squeeze desk sizes, cut back on circulation and break out space and the absolute holy grail, ensure the boss has a desk exactly the same size and type as a graduate. I’ve seen plenty of occupiers with that ‘battery hen’ mentality.
For many, this extended period of home working has been a voyage of self-discovery, self motivation and for those with families, required a new level of compromise and balance. For employers it’s been a nerve wracking few weeks, as IT systems are tested to the max along with working disciplines. Hopefully for most, the transition has been as painless as DTRE’s own. For the main part, it appears staff have remained motivated, which is something which we can learn from.
In the second edition of our market report looking at the effects of COVID-19 on the industrial and logistics market, we hypothesise on how the pandemic is likely to impact the sector over the medium term.
The last month has seen unprecedented social change and with it, a plethora of different opinions over the future of the UK’s office market. With the continuing commentary surrounding the future of We Work, IWG and the whole serviced office sector, taken together with the rapidly expanding Zoom conference calling phenomenon, what is this going to mean into the second half of 2020 and beyond?
In this very uncertain and testing time, we are all learning to face up to the new reality presented to us as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. We at DTRE wanted to pass on our sympathy to all those who are suffering duress as we look to cope with the impact on health and livelihoods, and the movement restrictions now imposed by the Prime Minister in Monday’s announcement.
2020 marks the tenth anniversary of both DTRE and the traditional pre-MIPIM Industrial and Logistics gathering at the Oxo Tower in London, No Cannes Do. With the postponement of MIPIM until June, today’s event takes on even more relevance, as over 500 invited guests discuss the whys and wherefores of the latest trends affecting the sector.
Three and a half years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, at 11pm on Friday 31st January we officially left, but what now and what will be the impact on the commercial property market in 2020?
So the date is set, Thursday 12th December, the British public will once again go to the polls to decide our fourth Prime Minister in just over three years. With the Tories having a healthy lead, is the result inevitable?
With an ever-growing population, increasing pressures on land uses and more erratic and unpredictable climate conditions, is vertical farming the solution to meeting rising food demands and is there enough urban logistics space to accommodate them?
The South East office market has seen 2.3m sq ft of take-up by end Q3, which is only down 15% on the same period last year, but it is hard to escape the reality that the Brexit induced slowdown engulfing the UK, has seen occupiers adopt a wait and see approach.
What a week we have in store, it would be no exaggeration to suggest that this week has the potential to be one of the most pivotal in recent political history and could go a long way to shaping the UK’s post-Brexit future.
The occupier market continues to perform well in the absence of any clarity on the UK’s future trading relationships with the EU and elsewhere. Take-up by the end of Sepember has reached 19.7m sq ft, just 10% down on the same period in 2018…
Boris Johnson is in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, meeting EU leaders and continuing Brexit negotiations in the hope that, unlike the Scottish rugby team, he can achieve something positive before the end of October…
It was former prime minister Harold Wilson who coined the phrase “a week is a long time in politics”, and as this is now my fourth iteration of this piece, I certainly agree.
Two weeks since my last note and not much has changed on the political landscape, or in the betting markets, although Boris may alter that this week with scheduled visits to EU leaders. Indeed the only price that has changed is in my England to win the Ashes prediction, but keep the faith, England are now 5/2 from 5/6 two weeks ago.
The logistics occupier market has so far struggled to hit the heights of 2018 and at the halfway stage, with just 11.3 million sq ft transacted, we don’t forsee last year’s total being surpassed, particularly with Brexit looming in October. However, it is by no means all doom and gloom...
10 things you need to know about Big Box logistics in 2019.
At a quick glance, the storied City of London - the nation’s financial hub - has little in common with the UK’s life sciences sector. It’s suits, not lab coats. But, can many of the same characteristics that make the City the country’s financial engine room also power something special in life sciences?
Over the past six months, you may have heard various adaptations of the phrases ‘sticky market’, ‘re-adjustment’, ‘the new normal’ or ‘protracted decision making’ when discussing the current state of the industrial and logistics market. However, you will also have heard that ‘rental growth is still robust’, ‘supply is still tight’ and that there is a ‘flight to new-build quality product’.
Following the pandemic there was a surge in venture capital funding looking to invest in Life Science companies at many points along their journeys. The venture capitalists were less worried about business failure than they were about missing the chance of discovering a unicorn. In 2021, £4.5bn was raised in the UK for life sciences. In 2022, as the macroeconomic picture started to worsen, the funding taps which were a deluge in 2021 turned towards a steady flow in 2022 with £3bn being raised (still the second best year on record). By no means has the fundraising dried up, but without a doubt it has become more selective and the “COVID Effect” receded.
On the back of our most successful and well attended Eurologix event, with over 550 market participants mingling alongside our co-sponsor clients Prologis, Tritax and Oxenwood, we thought it would be fitting to summarise our view on the current dynamic of European Logistics market.
2022 was another strong year for industrial real estate, with demand the 3rd highest on record. Swathes of warehousing was taken up by logistics occupiers in a race for space only surpassed by the two ‘Covid’ years prior. All of this without Amazon even taking a single square foot, illustrated a depth to the market that some had questioned. New sectors announced their entry into the market and new entrants made a splash and 2023 has continued in a similar vein with occupier demand still high and vacancy low - at 3.65%. However, there is a rising trend to monitor. Grey Space.
Men are from Mars and women are...well, let’s just say we’re certainly not - that’s why I’m a firm advocate that workplace diversity leads to increased productivity. We think, process and action in different ways - and that’s ok! On realising it was International Women’s Day this week, it got me thinking about my own personal experience around this topic as a female logistics expert. Property is a male dominated industry, as we all know, and this is arguably most acute in the industrial sector - nonetheless, this has been my bread and butter for the past 10 years and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
My previous ‘Credible Thinking’ piece, written from my living room in the depths of lockdown #1, highlighted the incredible performance in the ‘Big Box’ (300,000 sq ft+) market since start of the pandemic. It’s safe to say, this trend has not abated in the 21 months since. In 2021, take up in the ‘Big Box’ market equated to 29.4m sq ft, which is the equivalent of 59% of total figures for the year (100,000 sq ft +). Occupiers’ flight to ‘bigger is better’ has become very apparent as they are looking to improve their supply chains. As a result of this, there are currently only three available new build units that are immediately available to occupy over 300,000 sq ft (excluding those under offer and/or under construction).
Already a huge growth area in retail, direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales were sent into overdrive over the past eighteen months when stores were forced to close around the world, and according to Rakuten Intelligence, DTC e-commerce sales jumped over 200% during the first week of lockdown last year (March 23 to 30), compared with a 14% uplift in e-commerce sales overall.
Steph and Jamie joined DTRE in January 2021 and sit in DTRE’s Industrial Investment team. This Credible Thinking article deals with how they have found integrating themselves into a new job with the backdrop of a pandemic.
2020 was an extraordinary year for the logistics and warehouse sector with reported take up of 45m sq ft for units over 100,000 sq ft, an increase of approximately 29% over the previous record set in 2016. Online retailers and 3PL’s sharing the vast majority of the headlines.… but Amazon steal the show.
At first the concept of working from home was more of an excitement for most. There was no need to commute which meant more hours in the day and more money in the bank account. Increased flexibility made it easier to go for those long summer night walks / runs, and perhaps more time to spend with the family. As we are at the start of the dark winter nights and cold weather, lockdown 2.0 has really raised questions on what factors are important in our everyday lives.
In an increasingly data-driven world, research and insight help us to inform the advice that we offer our clients. This combined with our leasing and investment knowledge gives us the competitive advantage – and helps you stay one step ahead. In addition, we publish opinion pieces, research findings and market reports – keep checking back for regular updates.
The last five months have been unusual by anyone’s standards. Despite the huge impact that COVID-19 has had on all of our personal and professional lives, it has never been more apparent that we are extremely fortunate to have chosen the industry, and indeed sector, within which we work. I can speak for all of my colleagues when saying how encouraged we have been with the continued demand for ‘big box’ logistics space in the UK since mid-March.
As we prepare the return to our London office on Monday, it seems an age since we left not knowing what scary thing was around the corner. Thankfully, the easing of lockdown and some green shoots in the market it feels there is light directing us towards the exit.
The Industrial Agency team at DTRE has remained busy throughout lockdown. Initially the market witnessed a huge spike in requirements for short term, overflow accommodation; we saw supermarkets, online grocery platforms and government departments all searching for space across the UK. The reality is only a handful of these translated into property transactions. Instead, the supermarkets found an operational need for the surplus space they were marketing and the 3PLs, in particular Eddie Stobart, agreed service arrangements on their ‘grey’ space. We are still witnessing short term requirements, but these have significantly scaled back, both in terms of size and numbers.
We have all known for many years that retailing behaviours have been the main driver behind how logistics has become the UK's best performing and most desirable property asset class. First, we wanted ‘Next-Day’ delivery, then we wanted ‘Same- Day’ delivery, all of which needed to be free of charge including our Returns. As a result, many ‘fast fashion’ retailers had to price in an assumption that over 30% of product would be returned - that all adds cost which we all (unwittingly) pay for!
What does the future hold for office demand? Will occupiers need less space, as more staff work from home, or will they need more space post social distancing, to allow more space between staff on an ongoing basis? The only thing we do know, is that we don’t know what the lasting impact of Covid is going to look like. What’s better known, or perhaps accepted, is that in the short term, there’s going to be pressure on capital. Reduced income set against only marginally reduced costs is never going to produce a particularly comfortable outcome.
In my 20 year office agency career there has been a consistent and constant drive for office efficiency, to pack more bodies in, squeeze desk sizes, cut back on circulation and break out space and the absolute holy grail, ensure the boss has a desk exactly the same size and type as a graduate. I’ve seen plenty of occupiers with that ‘battery hen’ mentality.
For many, this extended period of home working has been a voyage of self-discovery, self motivation and for those with families, required a new level of compromise and balance. For employers it’s been a nerve wracking few weeks, as IT systems are tested to the max along with working disciplines. Hopefully for most, the transition has been as painless as DTRE’s own. For the main part, it appears staff have remained motivated, which is something which we can learn from.
The last month has seen unprecedented social change and with it, a plethora of different opinions over the future of the UK’s office market. With the continuing commentary surrounding the future of We Work, IWG and the whole serviced office sector, taken together with the rapidly expanding Zoom conference calling phenomenon, what is this going to mean into the second half of 2020 and beyond?
2020 marks the tenth anniversary of both DTRE and the traditional pre-MIPIM Industrial and Logistics gathering at the Oxo Tower in London, No Cannes Do. With the postponement of MIPIM until June, today’s event takes on even more relevance, as over 500 invited guests discuss the whys and wherefores of the latest trends affecting the sector.
With an ever-growing population, increasing pressures on land uses and more erratic and unpredictable climate conditions, is vertical farming the solution to meeting rising food demands and is there enough urban logistics space to accommodate them?
As we pass the halfway point of 2023, office and laboratory take up in Cambridge has reached its highest level for the same period since the peak of 2019. To date, take up stands at 259,100 sq ft, a 138% increase on H1 2022, and 32% above the H1 5-year average.
Oxford is a true innovation cluster and is home to globally recognised research and development programs offered by the University.
Cambridge has opened the year by solidifying its position as the prominent life science and innovation hub, witnessing its highest levels of occupier demand and take up since 2019 as office and laboratory take up reached 142,000 sq ft, an 80% increase on the Q1 5-year average.
Cambridge has long been a prominent hub for science and technology and has continued to demonstrate this in 2022 with active demand for laboratory space alone totalling 1.2 million sq ft. Combined, office and laboratory demand was in excess of 2.0 million sq ft.
The South East office market has returned well from a chaotic 2020, with take-up to end June 2021 reaching 2.1 million sq ft, up 59% on the same period in 2020. Despite the well touted ‘death of the office’ demand in Q2 has reached close to 1.25 million sq ft, the best quarter in the last 6 years.
The South East Office leasing markets has struggled over the last 12 to 18 months. Firstly, it was the hesitation around Brexit and then from March last year it was the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The result when looking at the data has been a year of limited take-up, with just 2.7m sq ft of take-up, the worst year we have on record since 2009.
The South East office market has suffered significant challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the future of offices the talk of much debate. Whilst looking at take-up numbers and investment volumes is rather futile in this climate, they don’t make pretty reading. However, there’s plenty of room for optimism, as we’ll discuss...
The South East office market has seen 2.3m sq ft of take-up by end Q3, which is only down 15% on the same period last year, but it is hard to escape the reality that the Brexit induced slowdown engulfing the UK, has seen occupiers adopt a wait and see approach.
The North West occupational markets have held up well despite a wider UK slowdown in occupier demand. Whilst overall take-up volumes are down on the 5-year average they are up 15% in the Big Box (100,000 sq ft +) sector in the first six months of 2023 when compared to the last six months of 2022.
Six months into 2023 and whilst take-up volumes have remained robust, it is clear that we are now entering the new ‘Post-Covid’ phase. At the end of H1 2023 take-up stands at 11.6 million sq ft, down 44% year-on-year and closer to the pre-Covid (2007-19) average of 14 million sq ft.
After three record breaking years, the occupational market has seen a slowdown from the pandemic induced retail highs thus far in 2023. Given the wider macro-economic picture, this is not an unjustified concern. Nonetheless, the fundamentals within the sector still remain considerably in the landlord’s favour, with supply remaining tight and record rents continuing to be set across the board, particularly for new and/or well located units.
Despite the gathering storm clouds in the latter third of 2022, in-particular, Big Box take-up during Q4 2022 reached 10.8 million sq ft bringing the annual total for 2022 to 40.8 million sq ft. Whilst this was down 25% on the record 54.7 million sq ft recorded in 2021, it was 67% ahead of the average annual level of take-up we saw from 2009 to 2019.
Despite the well documented economic challenges facing many businesses and consumers, the UK’s Big Box Logistics occupational market has continued to outperform expectations. Q3 2022 has seen just over 8.2 million sq ft of take-up, 11% ahead of the quarterly average since 2012, but down on the Covid-induced peaks of 2020 and 2021.
Big Box take up in Q2 2022 has reached 9.3 million sq ft, bringing the half-year total take up to 20.1 million sq ft, exceeding the 10-year average of 18.3 million sq ft and by the end H1, 2022 has therefore experienced the third highest ever take up.
The first three months of 2022 has seen just over 10 million sq ft of take-up, 40% ahead of the quarterly average since 2010, as occupier demand for new logistics space shows little sign of slowing down at present.
2021 was a record year for occupier demand in the Big Box world with 49.5 million sq ft of take-up, a touch ahead of the previous record set in 2020 of 48.7 million sq ft. Whilst 2021 was a record year it should be viewed together with 2020 as the beginning of a new era for the Big Box...
The thirst for Big Box warehousing remains unquenchable, however, the lack of built supply in the market is now impacting take-up. Q3 saw a touch over 8.2 million sq ft transact, the lowest level of quarterly take-up since the pandemic hit in Q1 2020.
The record levels of occupier demand witnessed in 2020 have shown no signs of slowing so far in 2021, and with occupier take-up reaching just over 23.6 million sq ft, we could be on course to at least match, if not surpass 2020’s record year. Seemingly, the only hindrance to demand? An acute lack of supply.
2020 was a year like no other for many of the reasons we are all very much aware, but it was also a year like no other for Big Box Logistics, which witnessed a record level of demand, with over 46.5m sq ft of take-up. A remarkable outcome considering the twin threats of Brexit and Covid, and 2021 has not yet seen any slowdown.
The world has changed in the last 9 months but without dwelling on all the external factors surrounding Covid-19 , the global pandemic and resultant economic turmoil that has followed, there is one sector of the property industry that has come through unscathed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic and debilitating effect on all economies and markets across the globe. From China in the East across to the USA, seemingly no nation will be left untouched by the virus, but aside from the obvious health warnings, how else will COVID-19 affect the markets and particularly property, moving forward?
Most agree that enhanced supply chain resilience and deeper penetration of e-commerce are here to stay, which should have a positive impact on the multi-let industrial and logistics sectors, but what evidence of this have we seen so far?
In the second edition of our market report looking at the effects of COVID-19 on the industrial and logistics market, we hypothesise on how the pandemic is likely to impact the sector over the medium term.
The occupier market continues to perform well in the absence of any clarity on the UK’s future trading relationships with the EU and elsewhere. Take-up by the end of Sepember has reached 19.7m sq ft, just 10% down on the same period in 2018…
The logistics occupier market has so far struggled to hit the heights of 2018 and at the halfway stage, with just 11.3 million sq ft transacted, we don’t forsee last year’s total being surpassed, particularly with Brexit looming in October. However, it is by no means all doom and gloom...
10 things you need to know about Big Box logistics in 2019.
If it’s not one thing it’s another. With Covid seemingly in the rear-view mirror, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an increasing cost of living crisis, caused by a mix of soaring inflation and fiscal own goals, has darkened the mood around the UK’s economy.
Omicron. The latest Covid variant threw a spanner, albeit hopefully only temporarily, into the UK’s recovery prior to Christmas. Now we have come out the other side it’s becoming clear that the path ahead remains mixed
In this very uncertain and testing time, we are all learning to face up to the new reality presented to us as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. We at DTRE wanted to pass on our sympathy to all those who are suffering duress as we look to cope with the impact on health and livelihoods, and the movement restrictions now imposed by the Prime Minister in Monday’s announcement.
Three and a half years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, at 11pm on Friday 31st January we officially left, but what now and what will be the impact on the commercial property market in 2020?
So the date is set, Thursday 12th December, the British public will once again go to the polls to decide our fourth Prime Minister in just over three years. With the Tories having a healthy lead, is the result inevitable?
What a week we have in store, it would be no exaggeration to suggest that this week has the potential to be one of the most pivotal in recent political history and could go a long way to shaping the UK’s post-Brexit future.
Boris Johnson is in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, meeting EU leaders and continuing Brexit negotiations in the hope that, unlike the Scottish rugby team, he can achieve something positive before the end of October…
It was former prime minister Harold Wilson who coined the phrase “a week is a long time in politics”, and as this is now my fourth iteration of this piece, I certainly agree.
Two weeks since my last note and not much has changed on the political landscape, or in the betting markets, although Boris may alter that this week with scheduled visits to EU leaders. Indeed the only price that has changed is in my England to win the Ashes prediction, but keep the faith, England are now 5/2 from 5/6 two weeks ago.
