After record-breaking 2016, there are still good prospects ahead of Poland’s warehouse market. Regional markets will gain in attractiveness owing to the improving transport infrastructure, availability of investment lands and employees that begin to lack on the most popular markets – according to a report by Colliers International entitled “New locations, new possibilities. Logistic centres vs. labour market”, which was prepared in cooperation with Randstad Poland. The publication also discusses trends on the labour market.
New spots on the map
Most of warehouse space is still delivered in Poland’s major agglomerations. However, there is a growing interest among tenants and developers in smaller cities that may soon gain in importance. According to Colliers International experts, warehouse locations with best prospects ahead are as follows: Białystok, Legnica/Bolesławiec, Częstochowa, Kielce, Konin, Lublin, Radom, Rzeszów and Zielona Góra.
Dominika Jędrak, Director at Research and Consultancy Services, Colliers International said: “When selecting specific space, logistic and production companies take into account not only location, but also availability of skilled manpower and recognized academic centres. In coming months, the growth dynamics of warehouse market in Poland will remain stable in terms of both supply and demand. We predict further development of smaller warehouse markets, among others, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Rzeszów, Szczecin, as well as new locations outlined in the report,”
Some of the markets discussed in the report, for instance Konin or Legnica, are situated in close vicinity to main communication routes, which adds to their attractiveness. However, there are planned expressways and motorways extensions in all the cities presented in the report, which will facilitate communication in these regions. For example, local authorities plan €40m worth investments in the development of logistic infrastructure in Białystok by the end of 2018.
Among advantages of the locations discussed in the report are lower wages (even by dozen or so percent) and the availability of manpower that begin to lack in the most popular locations.
