Small- and mid-sized deals drove the market in the second quarter, the firm says. One example is a 32,880-sf deal for Consolidated Electrical Distributors Cushman & Wakefield brokers in July in the southwest suburban countryside.

Another exception to the otherwise stagnant market is north suburban Lake County, where Cushman & Wakefield finds an increased amount of deals involving users. "Sale prices in Lake County are exceeding replacement costs," says Keith Puritz, a director in the firm's industrial services group.

Puritz was involved in a deal in July in north suburban Lake Forest, where wholesale liquor distributor Lionstone International leased 41,050 sf from Duke Realty Corp.