The logistics sector, the lifeblood of global trade, is undergoing a metamorphosis that is expanding its boundaries and blurring the lines between itself and traditional retail.

The first transformation of the logistics sector can be traced to the 1990s. Back then, the rise of operational logistics and supply chain management dovetailed with external influences in Europe such as the expansion of motorway networks, transport liberalisation and rapid acceleration of incomes and spending.

Within the last decade the second, digital, transformation of the sector has arisen from a confluence of factors: the increased importance of distribution in global trade; technology advancements such as robotics and automation; smart manufacturing; digitalised supply chains; and last mile delivery improvements. All of these factors are underpinned by one central, powerful, catalyst: the inexorable rise in e-commerce.

Creating a new sub-property sector

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