Oakland one of three fastest growing markets for prime industrial & logistics rent growth

Supply-constrained Oakland sees 14 percent year-over-year growth

Prime logistics rents increased globally in the year ending March 31, accelerating their growth in many markets, due to strengthening economies around the world and greater demand for distribution of goods bought both online and in stores, according to a new report from CBRE.

Prime logistics rents – which are the highest achievable lease rates for top-quality warehouse and distribution-center space – increased by 3.2 percent across the globe in this year’s first quarter from a year earlier, according to CBRE. That exceeds the previous 12-month period’s 2.2 percent global increase.

With a 14 percent increase in rents year-over-year, Oakland now ranks seventh globally for most expensive prime industrial & logistics markets at $9.96 per square foot per year.

“The rise of ecommerce is driving demand for new state-of-the-art industrial buildings and ‘last mile’ distribution space,” said Bob Ferraro, Senior Vice President, CBRE. “In the East Bay, newer warehouses (built since 2008) account for only 1.8% of the market’s total number of buildings. As demand continues, Oakland will likely see more infill development as older obsolete warehouses are torn down, and new developments go up.”

The biggest gainer globally was Vancouver, which posted a 29.1 percent increase due to its lack of land available for industrial development amid its growth as Canada’s largest port. Other U.S. cities ranked in the top 10 fastest growing markets include Seattle (13.4 percent gain) and New Jersey (up 9.5 percent). Oakland was the only U.S. city to rank in the 10 most expensive markets.

Prime logistics rents offer a means of gauging the strength and momentum of the high end of warehouse markets across the globe. That the growth of prime logistics rents has accelerated globally bodes well for the industry’s continued momentum.

“This is a positive indicator that we’re still seeing global growth roughly six years after the U.S. market for Industrial & Logistics real estate began its recovery from the recession,” said David Egan, CBRE’s Global Head of Industrial & Logistics Research. “This underscores the theory that e-commerce-driven demand for logistics facilities has created a fundamental shift in this market, establishing new baselines for occupancy, rents and other measures.”

CBRE examined rents in 71 global logistics hubs for its report. The company defines prime logistics rents as the highest achievable rent for industrial distribution space of the highest quality and specification in the best location within each market.

In the U.S., prime logistics rents increased by an average of 4.8 percent in the year ended March 31, propelled by gains in coastal markets.

“The three U.S. markets with the biggest increases in prime logistics rents – Oakland, Seattle and New Jersey – each are near busy seaports but have little land available for industrial development,” said Adam Mullen, CBRE Americas Leader of Industrial & Logistics.

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