Disused warehouses could be revived by online shopping

Thursday, December 20, 2012 - 11:27 by Mike Price

At the moment, there is an increasing demand amongst consumers for quick delivery after they have placed orders by safe shopping online.

While in the past it was accepted that you would have to wait at least 24 hours for a parcel to be delivered, even under express circumstances, retailers are beginning to push the boundaries further and even offer same day delivery in certain areas.

Reuters reports that the result of this will be more and more e-commerce companies looking to set up distribution centres around major cities, to provide the speedy delivery that many people expect.

This means that warehouse space which is currently sitting unused on the outskirts of London, might soon become a hotbed of activity, with CBRE predicting that rents will jump in cost accordingly. In ten years time, warehouse space could be 40 per cent more valuable than it is today.

This is not just a trend that is exclusive to the UK, because the rise in safe shopping online across the continent will make it a European phenomenon.

About 43 per cent of European consumers use e-commerce sites regularly, with the UK leading the way when it comes to adoption and usage.

The important thing to note about warehouse space for e-commerce distribution is that the location is far less important than office or shop space. As such, even somewhat out of the way, run down venues could be revitalised, by the need for more parcel centres and product storage.

For the consumer, this will mean that you should be able to order a product from a website and then get it delivered to your door later that same day. This takes the click and collect model to a whole new level of speed and convenience.