Take-up rate for warehouses in the Netherlands, by city 2014-2022

In 2022, Venlo was the leading market in the Netherlands by warehouse leasing activity with 470,000 square meters of take-up. Unlike for example the United Kingdom (UK) or Germany, warehouses or distribution centers (DCs) in the Netherlands are less centered around major cities. This is probably due to the small size of the country and the comparatively high connectivity to the cities and ports of both Rotterdam as well as Antwerp in Belgium. The southern provinces of the Netherlands are also popular hotspots for logistics real estate because of the lower rent prices.

International brands: an important driver behind the Netherlands’ logistics market

The total size of the Dutch logistics market was approximately 41 million square meters in 2020, the highest number in nine years. This is because many international brands opened distribution centers in the Netherlands. Venlo, for example, supplies European fashion brands Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Under Armour via Trade Port Venlo Noord. Spain’s Inditex (the company behind Zara, Pull&Bear and Berschka) are to open a logistics center in Lelystad in 2019, whilst Lidl opened its European e-commerce DC in the West-Brabant region (around the city of Roosendaal) in 2018.

Dutch warehouses are popular investment tools for foreign investors

The Netherlands’ growth as a logistics hub for retailers and e-commerce companies in Europe hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2019, 73 percent of all investments in logistics property in the country came from foreign investors. Most cross-border capital came from Germany and the UK, with nine percent coming from South Korean investors.