Cold storage accounts for 12% of warehouse space in U.K.

Cold storage in the United Kingdom accounts for approximately 12 percent of total warehouse space, with a further 1.551 million square meters (16.7 million square feet) currently under construction to cater for growing occupier demand, according to Savills and Cold Chain Federation.

Both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have placed significant emphasis on supply-chain resilience and the shift from a “just in time” to a “just in case” model. Consequently, having a clearer picture of cold-storage capacity will be essential to understanding the role it can play in meeting consumer demand, which will help to manage current and ongoing economic uncertainties.

At present, Savills calculates that there are 678 warehouse units with cold-storage space of more than 4,645 square meters (50,000 square feet) in the United Kingdom, equating to 12.449 million square meters (134 million square feet), 29 percent of which are located in Yorkshire and the North West. A further 22