Foreign investors interested in Poland’s warehouse market

10 April 2017

The positive run for the European logistics and warehouse market continues and will continue. There is potential for further growth over the coming months as confirmed not only by the increasing number of schemes under construction and those fully leased, but also by the extremely stable foundations for expansion of the sector. The trust shown in the domestic market by investors is also of importance here. The above and numerous other factors affecting warehouse property investments were topics for discussion at the “Pan-European Logistics Breakfast” organized by BNP Paribas Real Estate in London.

BNP Paribas Real Estate experts representing countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Poland noted that the growing e-commerce and traditional retail sectors were what to a large extent contributed to the increase in demand (between 40 and 60%) for warehouse and logistics space last year. Logistics developers and investors are more and more often utilizing the synergy effect arising between the sectors, this being of particular significance for the Eastern Europe region and Poland.

Developers, investors and tenants from Western Europe are now ever more often considering entry or transfer of their operations to Poland indeed. This results not only from the relatively low labour costs, but also from the high level of qualifications held by staff and the highest technical standard of properties. Another strength of the warehouse properties located in Poland are the well-developed infrastructure and transport network as well as high availability of new investment land.

Furthermore, there is a new trend emerging on the Polish market, i.e. the so-called sustainable solutions, as shared by Katarzyna Pyś-Fabiańczyk, Head of Industrial & Logistics Department at BNP Paribas Real Estate, Central and Eastern Europe, during her appearance in London. While they are already a norm in Western Europe, energy efficient and sustainable solutions are only now beginning to play a more considerable role. They generate additional savings and on top of that enable an organization to be classified as a socially responsible one, which obviously positively affects the image of any business.

During my presence on the warehouse market spanning more than 16 years now I was able to witness a significant change as regards perception of Poland: from a location of secondary importance we have become one of the most dynamically growing logistics destinations in Europe. The introduction of sustainable solutions in warehouse properties is a proof that Poland is transforming itself from a location that used to be attractive mainly due to the costs involved to a place where the high technical standard of properties comes first along with the still relatively low operating costs

Katarzyna Pyś-Fabiańczyk, Head of Industrial & Logistics Department at BNP Paribas Real Estate, Central and Eastern Europe

As a result of the ever greater maturity and diversification of the Polish market, developers are offering warehouse and industrial space of the highest technical standard, while using top-quality materials and incorporating energy efficient solutions. Steps aimed at sustainable development should be one of the key factors for growth of this sector in Poland.