Report: Growth in online grocery sales expected to increase demand for cold storage warehouse space
CBRE’s analysis found that larger concentrations of food-grade cold storage facilities occur in states with substantial agricultural production, large populations or both.
The growth of online grocery sales could result in demand for up to 35 million square feet of U.S. cold storage space shifting from retail stores to warehouses and distribution centers within the next seven years, according to a new report from CBRE, Los Angeles.
“The U.S. market for warehouses and distribution centers has been on a multi-year run, but there still are segments in the relatively early stages of their growth, like cold storage,” says David Egan, global head of industrial and logistics research. “As e-commerce expands further into the grocery business, the resulting growth of the food supply chain and demand for new, climate-controlled warehouse space could very well be the new opportunity that investors and developers have been seeking.”