Report | Intelligent Investment
European Logistics Occupier Survey 2026
July 22, 2026 10 Minute Read
Overview
The share of occupiers planning to expand their European logistics portfolio has risen for the first time since 2023. At the same time, quality supply is tightening and the window for occupiers to secure favourable terms is narrowing.Miranda Botcherby, Jack Cox and Timo Baaij discuss what is driving returning occupier confidence, why businesses continue to relocate despite a tightening market, and how growing constraints around power availability are influencing asset selection.
The sixth edition of CBRE's European Logistics Occupier Survey, conducted in partnership with Analytiqa, draws on the views of 109 decision-makers representing Europe's largest warehouse occupiers across all sectors – with a combined footprint of 90–100 million sq m.
Four findings defining the European logistics market this year
1. Expansion plans turn increasingly positiveExpansion intentions are strongest among post and parcel companies and 3PLs, while manufacturers remain cautious. Chinese occupiers, meanwhile, are increasingly active across the region.
2. Most leasing activity consists of relocations, rather than footprint expansion
Occupiers are moving to better space rather than taking more of it. Building inefficiency, high running costs, ESG shortfalls, and power limitations push them out of existing facilities, while automation capability and lower operating costs pull them into new ones. Approximately 3% of European occupied stock faces obsolescence each year without significant investment – equivalent to c. 12 million sq m of space annually.
3. Modern, well-powered space is increasingly hard to find
The concern is not about warehouse availability in general, but about modern, automatable, efficiently powered buildings in the locations demanded by occupiers. As developers slow new deliveries to stabilise vacancy rates, the supply of the exact space occupiers want is tightening. Power availability now ranks as a top building selection factor for over 44% of occupiers, more than double the share from four years ago.
4. Sustainability is a baseline, not a premium requirement
Willingness to pay a premium for net zero ready space has fallen, with non-compliant buildings increasingly expected to carry a pricing discount instead. Decarbonisation timelines, meanwhile, have been pushed back.
Expansion intentions by sector — share planning to expand in 2026
Read the full report
For detailed findings, download the complete European Logistics Occupier Survey 2026.
Contacts
Mark Cartlich
Head of Occupational Market Research, Europe
Jack Cox
Managing Director, Head of European Industrial & Logistics Capital Markets
