International Trade Creating New Opportunities in Industrial Real Estate

New demand for industrial real estate is emerging as international trade continues to morph in response to various trends, according to the 2020 CBRE Research Global Trade Report. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating many of these trends.

Companies have diversified their supply chains in recent years due to trade and geopolitical tensions, technology advancement and increasing transportation costs. As they go through these changes, consumers are increasingly purchasing goods online, making it even more important for companies to keep greater and diverse inventories closer to their end location. Most recently the pandemic led to inventory control failures and companies are now more concerned with having enough inventory to support more online orders.