Romania-locul 13 in topul pietelor europene pentru facilitati industriale

Studiul este doar în limba engleză.

Autor: CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD CONSULTING S.R.L.

- Central Europe accounts for three out of Europe's top five industrial locations
- Constanta port - the highest rise in cargo volumes in Europe in the last 3 years: 277%
- The extenstion of Constanta port will play a major role in European distribution market
- Belgium retains its position as offering the best location for industrial/logistics facilities in Europe.
- Markets remain active as supply chain management becomes increasingly critical for business.

Three out of Europe's top five markets with the best location for industrial/logistics facilities are in Central and Eastern Europe, according to the European Distribution Report 2008, produced biennially by global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). The top position in this year's ranking is retained by Belgium. In second place is the Netherlands, followed by Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland in fifth place, while Romania enters the first time this ranking at No. 13. The development of retail in Romania with the rising number of shopping centers influences also in a positive manner the development of logistic and warehousing spaces. Thus it is expected that the volume of these spaces to almost double this year. The demand of logistic spaces overcomes the offer because there are few speculative projects. In the future many international companies intend to extend their activity in Romania also. The ones which already are active in Romania are interested in cost effective measures through opening new distribution points in the rest of the country. Analysing a series of factors which position Romania on the 13th place in this ranking, one can observe that the favourable ones for Romania are the low rents and the low costs for labour. In the same time the reduced rhythm of the development of the road network and thus the low volume of the fright transported are the factors that prevent Romania from ranking higher in top industrial logistic markets of Europe. Gabriel Sfetcu, Head of Industrial Department at Cushman & Wakefield Activ Consulting states: "The rising rhythm of industrial logistic market of Romania can be maintained through continuing the development of Constanta port and developing Danube ports. The Danube is the only proper route of transport that connects us directly through the Central Europe and which is too little exploited in the present. 65% of the volume of freight that transits Romania is transported on land and only 10% by water. In the same time in the last 3 years Constanta port has registered the biggest rise in the volume of freight of the whole Europe: 277%. Despite this, Constanta port still ranks among the last ports in Europe by the volume of freight (rank 17 from 20)." The European Distribution Report 2008 includes 25 country locations compared with 15 in previous editions. Reflecting the expansion of the European Union and the growth patterns of international business, most new entries are along Europe's eastern boundaries. The overall ranking is formed by analysing a range of weighted cost/benefit factors, including factors such as rents, labour costs, congestion, the size of freight markets by type, proximity to key markets and population densities (see Notes to Editors). Steven Watt, Head of European Logistics & Industrial for Cushman & Wakefield, says: "With the continued globalisation of the world's economies, supply chain management has become an increasingly critical issue for business. With the ongoing search for greater efficiency and value for money, activity in the European industrial and logistics markets remains high as the sector continues to expand and adapt in response to the varying and increasingly international needs of businesses and the ever increasing cost of oil ." Ferdinand Hlobil, Head of Industrial for Cushman & Wakefield in Central Europe, says: "It comes as no surprise that the Central and Eastern European countries have risen up the ranking featured in the European Distribution Report. We are seeing these CEE markets steadily mature as distribution hubs and lines are developed to supply the growing local markets as well as business continuing to seek a cheaper cost base." However, as shown in the European Distribution Report published by Cushman & Wakefield, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany, continue to be the focus of economic activity, as well as home to Europe's key ports and airports for freight, and hence in terms of overall size still dominate the European industrial and logistics market. The top five prime industrial rents are also all in Western European locations - London (Heathrow), Dublin, Barcelona, Stockholm and Amsterdam (Schiphol) Steven Watt continues: "Central & Eastern Europe are maturing and growing markets, with tremendous near and mid-term potential. However, for the moment the geographical axis of the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany still form the economic powerhouse of Europe, and thus remain home to the region's biggest industrial/logistics markets." The report also reveals how, across the greater European region, occupiers are showing a preference for locating in regional cities in order to escape problems of land shortages and traffic congestion in the capital cities, as well as being attracted by lower rental levels. Examples can be seen in both Poland and Germany. "In Romania the situation is opposite: in Bucharest, due to the high competition the prices are lower than in the rest of the country." states Gabriel Sfetcu. And the future? Steven Watt continues: "We are now entering a very different, more challenging economic climate where cost efficiencies and key locations will be even more important - the mantra for real estate decisions will be ‘strategic location, location, location'." "New developments, in particular the growth of the port of Constanta on Romania's Black Sea coast, as it develops as a shipping route from China, and the construction of a new deep water port in Gdansk in Poland, may also have a part to play in the future reshaping of the European distribution map."