Renata Osiecka, Managing Partner at AXI IMMO talked to Property Forum about the new sources of demand on Polish warehouse markets, financing new logistics projects and forecasts for the nearshoring trend.

Developer activity in the Polish warehouse market at the end of September 2021 remains at a high level. Completions in Q3 2021 660,000 sqm increased the total logistics and industrial stock to 22.4 million sqm. There are 3.46 million sqm under construction, of which over 1.22 million sqm (+120% y/y) are developments without secured leases. In the period under review, gross take-up amounted to 1.44 million sqm (+16% y/y), where, as expected, the e-commerce and logistics segments remained the main force. The correlation of strong demand and moderate new supply affects the vacancy rate, which stood at 5.04% at the end of September 2021 (-2.66 pp y/y). AXI IMMO presents the results of the latest report, "Polish warehouse market in Q3 2021".

The Polish office space market situation at the end of Q3 2021 allows for an optimistic view of the sector in 2022.  Demand remaining at a similar level to last year and the expected higher absorption of available space are conducive to improving the sector’s performance in the coming months, says AXI IMMO.

According to advisory firm AXI IMMO, Poland remains one of the most attractively priced markets in Europe. Three out of five cheapest locations in terms of prime big box rents are in Poland. In addition, three Polish markets make the top 5 list of most attractively priced land markets in Europe.

The Polish warehouse market experienced robust occupier demand in H1 2021, with take-up at 3.3 million sqm. Logistics companies and e-commerce retailers accounted for over half of all space leased. Supply also remains high, with 1.1 million sqm delivered in the first six months of 2021, which is a testament to strong market fundamentals. Very good absorption of space has resulted in a decline in availability, to 5.4% of the stock at the end of June. However, with the amount of space under construction at an all-time high of 3.4 million sqm, the vacancy rate is expected to stabilise in the upcoming quarters. Advisory firm Axi Immo presented its report "Polish Warehouse Market in H1 2021".

Global Reach Logistics (GRL), a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, has leased an 11,680 sqm warehouse space in the distribution centre Prologis Park Poznań. The business venture is a transaction in cooperation with AXI IMMO and the Czech consulting company 108 AGENCY, which run joint projects within IRELS, an organisation of international specialists in the logistics real estate sector.

Economic progress inevitably brings increased demand for electric energy. In a historical context, coal-fuelled growth in the 19th century, oil facilitated the expansion of the global economy in the 20th century and data is stoking today’s economic progress. Data centres are the most rapidly growing segment of real estate and operating them requires an enormous amount of energy. Janusz Gutowski, CEO AXI IMMO Services at the AXI IMMO Group highlights the key issues around data centres’ demand for energy and explains what the alternative sources of energy for the sector are. 

Mecalit, a supplier of technical precision parts made of plastic, decided to sign a lease agreement for 10,500 sqm of warehouse space at the Central European Logistics Hub, an investment owned by Panattoni Europe. AXI IMMO was responsible for the comprehensive advisory services for the tenant.

According to AXI Immo, the Polish industrial market remains in great form. The sector is still attractive in the eyes of investors, and the boom in the e-commerce industry continues to fuel occupier demand. Take-up in Q1 2021 was 59% higher than in the same period last year, at 1.6m sqm. In addition, new sources of financing and greater developer confidence resulted in an increase in the amount of space under construction, which at the end of March 2021 reached 2.3m sqm (+11% y/y). 

Part of the Glamox Group, ES-SYSTEM, a producer and supplier of professional lighting systems, has decided to let nearly 11,500 sqm of modern warehouse and office space in the 7R Park Poznań East logistics centre. The tenant was represented in the negotiation process by AXI IMMO consultants.