E-commerce boom continues to drive record levels of investment, leasing activity

The e-commerce boom is continuing to drive demand for industrial and logistics assets across Europe, as new records were set for both levels of investment and leasing activity in 2021, according to Savills.

Some €62 billion ($71 billion) was invested into industrial real estate across Europe, a 79-percent increase from the previous five-year average. The United Kingdom (€19.5 billion/$22.1 billion) outperformed the rest of the continent and accounted for 31 percent of total investment activity.  Germany (€8.6 billion/$9.8 billion), France (€6.5 billion/$7.4 billion) and Sweden (€5.8 billion/$6.6 billion) and the Netherlands (€5.7 billion/$6.5 billion) also recorded strong levels.

Savills research also noted that investment into industrial assets accounted for 66 percent of European omnichannel investment in 2021, 47 percent higher than in 2019, as investors were willing to pay premiums to gain exposure to the sector.

“The trend for customers shift