With the forthcoming UK election only weeks away, one of the topics you are likely to hear a lot more discussion about is devolution in the UK to urban areas. It may not have the headline grabbing ability of immigration or a possible EU referendum, but it will have an important impact on the way […]
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking at a number of conferences about retail logistics. This sector, propelled by the rise of e-commerce is undergoing rapid change, and consequently is of huge interest to the real estate world. The interest is warranted. The recent e-commerce boom will continue to impact logistics real estate as technologically […]
When rents start to increase landlords generally start to feel happier(!) – viewing the increase as a signal that the market is improving (although, of course, the same cannot be said for occupiers…). I have, for some time, been expecting industrial rents in the UK to start rising. This has now been confirmed by JLL’s […]
At a recent client presentation about the logistics of online and multi-channel retail the client asked about the risks associated with a company operating out of a single warehouse compared with multiple warehouses. This was a relevant question given retailer ASOS had been in the news recently as their warehouse in Barnsley, which is used […]
In the past few weeks I have been closely monitoring articles posted by our retail research team relating to global trends reshaping the retail sector. These articles form part of a major global research piece entitled, ‘Redefining Retail Places’, whichhighlights, amongst other things, how customer experience and service is moving into the spotlight of physical […]
Last year, after relocating from city to suburb, I decided to commute by train. This was not because I prefer the train to driving, or to be honest out of strong environmental considerations. Rather, it was simply because road congestion would have made commuting by car unpredictable and in the end more expensive (accounting for […]
Much has been said and written about the need to enhance urban distribution models as the number of daily parcel deliveries continues to grow at lightning speed. The latest scoop, the DHL parcel box, actually sounds more hands-on than some of the more futuristic approaches such as the Amazon drone although the latter is by […]
Companies need to be prepared for all eventualities to ensure a smooth running operation even when the worst happens. With this is mind I recently visited Sony’s new distribution warehouse in Enfield on a Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) organised tour. Sony’s warehouse was burnt down during the summer 2011 riots and the […]
I knew the question would come (and promptly) when I told our PR team we were ready to release results of our survey amongst major occupiers of logistics and industrial real estate across Europe. They did not disappoint. It came immediately: ‘Is there a new big trend that will make an interesting headline? Anything newsworthy […]
Last week’s budget brought an announcement that may have significant implications for the industrial market in the UK relating to a change in planning laws which would give greater flexibility in change of use to residential from industrial use. George Osborne stated there will be a review of the English General Permitted Development Order. This […]
Earlier this week I attended the European Logistics Association’s conference on ‘Innovation in Urban Logistics and Multimodal Platforms, held at the European Parliament in Brussels. This was a very timely event, not least because the growth in e-commerce has put the spotlight on last mile solutions. In addition, there is growing interest in certain cities […]
“What’s actually our view on 3D printing?” I had heard talk about 3D printing but was not at all familiar with the concept at the time the question was casually popped to me by a colleague. Certainly I did not have a view – let alone a ‘house view’ for the whole company. All I […]
As everybody is slowly returning to the office and 2013 full-year numbers are being finalized focus is firmly on 2014 already. So what’s in store for logistics real estate markets this year? Across the globe, supply chains are being dramatically altered by the change taking place both in retail markets and manufacturing processes; cost hikes […]
At the beginning of every year most of us make New Year resolutions and ponder what opportunities might emerge throughout the year. With economic conditions gradually improving across Europe, industrial occupiers have a reason to be optimistic about the year ahead. But a key question remains: what opportunities will there be for occupiers in 2014 […]
Weekends in the month of December in Germany are traditionally spent celebrating ‘advent’ (the pre-Christmas season) which means invitations to afternoon coffee and cake. Hence last Saturday I was expected at my Mum’s home. Upon arrival, a DHL van parked in front of the house, delivering a parcel to her neighbours. On entering the house, […]
Over the last few weeks, I have done a lot of research for our new white paper European seaports – the growing logistics opportunity. It’s a topic I have been familiar with since writing our first European seaports report European seaports: future logistics hotspots back in 2008. My first impression was, five years on, trends […]
