Dentons and Property Week brought together a range of experts to debate what the future holds for the industrial and logistics sector at a roundtable discussion event.

Property Week editor Mitchell Labiak, and Alex Coulter, partner at Dentons, were joined by: Jeremy Achkar, vice-president of the UK investments team at Valor Real Estate; Celeste Giusti, team leader of economic infrastructure in the London Plan team at the Greater London Authority; Matt Kuber, vice-president – fund management at GLP; Bridget Outtrim, director of South East industrial at Savills; Liz Peace CBE, until recently chair of trustees at the Centre for London and leader of its Commission on Industrial Land in London; Jon Sleeman, director of UK logistics and industrial research at JLL; Andrew Wadsworth, corporate real estate UK and Ireland property manager at DHL; and Mickola Wilson, co-owner and director of Seven Dials Fund Management.

The panel of experts discussed the issues and opportunities that lie ahead for the industrial and logistics sector as warehouse take-up reaches an all-time high and vacancy rates hit rock bottom, and the impact of high construction costs and growing awareness of the climate crisis.

Alex Coulter, partner, real estate, at Dentons says: "Investor appetite for best-in-class logistics assets will continue, with competition still fierce from global sources of capital to secure large-scale logistics portfolios. Lack of supply has driven some investors to engage at earlier stages of the lifecycle and higher up the development risk curve. Investors and financers as well as tenants have a list of requirements in the 'new green world' with new-build and build-to-suit warehouses lending themselves well to green investment compared with some other asset classes. Despite macro-economic headwinds starting to blow, occupier demand will continue to be strong for the foreseeable future, and with the fundamentals around consumer trends still compelling, the industrial sector will continue to be an enviable asset class." 

Click to read the full discussion: "Is the future of industrial still bright?" as reported in Property Week on Friday 24 June 2022.