The West Pomeranian Voivodeship is strengthening its position as a logistics and warehousing hub for the e-commerce and light manufacturing sectors. There is also a noticeable acceleration of the nearshoring trend, which increases the importance of companies from Szczecin and the surrounding area in the European supply chain. One of the largest investments on the West Pomeranian warehouse market last year was the start of a 7R BTS project for Hultafors Group in Goleniów. The latest development of the company is 7R Park Szczecin, with its first confidential tenant already on board.
Construction of the two facilities, totalling 58,000 sqm, in the 7R Park Szczecin complex, has commenced. It’s 7R’s third major project in this region. A modern A-class building for Hultafors Group, which will be the first automated warehouse to use the AutoStore system in Poland, will be completed this month. Meanwhile, in the centre of the capital of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, the 7R City Flex Last Mile Logistics warehouse is already operating. As a result, Szczecin is becoming a strategic location for many Polish and foreign companies.
Good location
“The warehouse market in Szczecin is promising. It is also developing into one of the most important logistics hubs, connecting trade and production between Poland, and Germany, the Netherlands as well as the Scandinavian countries. The total stock of warehouse space in the region increased at the end of H1 2020 to over 800,000 sqm, a 14 percent increase y-o-y. The main factor behind Szczecin’s growing position in the warehouse segment is the importance of e-commerce in trade, and the availability of a skilled workforce. The logistics and warehouse hub will rapidly develop in this region, which is why we are building in Pomerania again,” says Bartłomiej Krawiecki, Member of the Board, Head of Development at 7R.
The Polish border with Germany, our largest partner in goods export and logistics operations, is the main driver of the Szczecin warehouse market. Another advantage is the region’s very well-developed infrastructure, with nearly 144 km of new roads being added in 2020. The ports of Szczecin and Świnoujście are being modernized to accommodate larger cargo ships. They are also undergoing the largest-ever construction works to improve rail access to the ports. All these undertakings make Szczecin an increasingly favourable location. However, there is still untapped potential, illustrated by the growing demand and current low supply levels for warehouse space.
Poland attracting foreign investors
The COVID-19 pandemic has only strengthened the power of the e-commerce industry. In this situation, the winner is the warehouse, production and logistics sector. There is an increasing demand for storage space and facilities suitable for the implementation of robotics and automation solutions. West Pomeranian Voivodeship, with Szczecin at the forefront, perfectly illustrates the development scenario that is now taking place in European supply chains. For 7R, Pomerania is a market which the developer knows very well and wants to develop a warehouse hub for Polish and foreign investors.
The first tenant will move into 7R Park Szczecin in mid-2021. The general contractor of the investment is Dekpol.
