In Q1 2018, Poland’s total warehouse and industrial stock amounted to more than 14.15 million sqm and another 1.90 million sqm was under construction, the largest quarterly development pipeline on record. Central Poland was the leading regional market, accounting for more than half of new supply and most of the leasing transaction volume.

Panattoni Europe has sold another logistics facility, Panattoni Park Warsaw West V totalling 70,000 sqm. The buyer is a Dutch company controlled by one of the leading global real estate investment firms, for whom this is the first investment in the Polish warehouse market.

Panattoni Europe is developing another warehouse facility for an e-commerce business. This time it is expondo Polska, which will take up 30,000 sqm at Panattoni Park Zielona Góra, currently under development. The tenant will be able to move into the complex already in the coming October.

Automation and digitisation penetrating all spheres of life also have a material impact on the economy. Experts of Cushman & Wakefield have identified five key factors that will shape the retail and warehouse market growth going forward.

Total demand on the Budapest industrial market amounted to 103,790 sqm in Q1 2018, marking a 45% year-on-year increase. At the end of the first quarter, there were only four existing schemes with more than 5,000 sqm of available warehouse space. The Budapest Research Forum published its quarterly industrial market analysis.

Polish developer 7R plans to set up a network of small business unit (SBU) warehouses across Poland under the 7R City Flex brand. Tenants will be able to sign one joint contract for the lease of warehouse space in several different locations as part of the City Flex program.

Panattoni Europe will build the main warehouse for Leroy Merlin in Central Poland, Łódź voivodeship. The facility will exceed 123,600 sqm at ground level, which makes it a record-breaking project in the Polish warehouse market. Construction works are scheduled to begin already in Q2 of this year and are expected to end in Q4 2019. The facility will undergo the BREEAM environmental certification process aiming for a Good rating.

Although nearly 120,000 square meters of new industrial / logistics space was delivered to the Budapest market in 2017 which is almost double of the figure delivered in 2016. It may still occur that by the end of the year the available warehouse units with 5,000 sqm+ space will disappear from the Budapest market and its surrounding area, according to Colliers International's latest industrial property market report.

The Polish warehouse market remains in great shape. New year-to-year records are being broken. Gross demand amounted to 4 million sqm, of which 75% was made up of new lease agreements and expansions. This is a 32% improvement compared to 2016. High demand side results are due to the accelerating economy, including internal consumption growing month by month, and an increase in investment by companies. Developers responded quickly to high demand from tenants, resulting in 2.36 million sqm delivered on the market and 1.39 million sqm under construction at the end of 2017. The high level of absorption caused the vacancy rate decrease to 4.5%, according to the report summarising 2017 in the warehouse space market in Poland, prepared by AXI IMMO experts.

The MLP Group has handed over a ready for use, 24,700 square meter warehouse facility to Żabka Polska S.A., located in the MLP Gliwice logistics park.