The industrial warehousing industry’s long-awaited pipeline pickup has brought growth and a sense of excitement back to the sector.

Industrial warehousing. It may not sound like the most sexy topic but delve deeper into this sector and there’s a sense of excitement pulsing beneath the surface.

Much of that is down to a long-awaited pipeline pickup. Compared with the previous recessionary years of free-falling availability, growth is finally back on the agenda. Where once there was a distinct lack of good quality, cutting-edge space in the UK for retail and ecommerce companies to expand into, now there are rumours of huge warehouse deals underway, many already pre-sold to some of retail’s leading names.

In recent months, there has been affirmation of this pipeline uptick, with Primark’s decision to expand through pre-letting 1.1 million sq ft in Islip, in the East Midlands, one of the largest deals agreed during the past 10 years, following The Hut Group taking almost 800,000 sq ft in two buildings in Warrington.

In fact, with more than 13 million sq ft of industrial space under construction that is expected to complete either this year or next, and further growth predicted in the medium term, the industrial warehousing sector is back.

In celebration of returning confidence in a sector that in the not too distant past was firmly in the doldrums, Retail Week has introduced a new supplement which heralds all that’s sexy in industrial warehousing. From the breaking news and latest exclusive figures, to the need for speed in the logistics arena and a study of the 3PLs innovating in logistics infrastructure – Retail Week is delighted to introduce this new topic to its rostra of annual supplements.

  • Laura Heywood, supplements editor