E-commerce has been driving demand for industrial real estate for several years, but steadily increasing online sales coupled with growing consumer expectations for speedier delivery continues to put pressure on merchants to bridge the last mile to their customers. Considering that these projects are located in densely populated areas where land and available product are typically scarce, developers are increasingly converting obsolete warehouse and other properties into fulfillment centers. For space that matches their needs, tenants are less price-sensitive than they have been historically, says Kenneth Salzman, SIOR, executive managing director and principal for commercial real estate service provider Lee & Associates. But tenants are avoiding taking more space than they need just to have it available in the future, he adds. “It’s less a space race and more that businesses want to reach their customers more quickly,” explains Salzman, who is located in the company’s New York office. “And the demand is not just coming from Amazon and other online retailers — traditional companies want to be able to ship their products to their customers more quickly because they’re competing with online resources, as well.” Online retailers and shippers are typical tenants of the buildings — even the U.S. …
