Open storage, or industrial outdoor storage (IOS) as it is also commonly referred to, is on the rise in Europe.

Essentially a niche segment of the industrial and logistics sector, IOS provides secure outdoor areas for businesses to store equipment, vehicles and goods that do not need to be sheltered indoors. The most attractive IOS facilities are typically positioned near good transport links and protected by robust security systems.

In the past, open storage would be used to house machinery and large vehicles, for example. Now, however, companies need more space to keep delivery vans or EV charging facilities, which is ideally positioned close to their current warehouses. This means IOS is being driven by many of the same fundamentals as traditional logistics, says Charles Ferguson-Davie, co-CEO and chief investment officer at UK-focused real estate fund manager Moorfield Group.

“There are many traditional occupiers of outdoor storage that do not necessarily