According to the very interesting report issued by PROLOGIS (see previous post), France’s prototypical modern distribution facility spans at least 10,000 square meters of floorspace with ceiling heights of at least 9 metres, load-bearing floors to support at least 5 tons per m², one loading dock for every 1,000 m², and truck-turning areas of at least 35 metres.

This is the prototypical distribution facility and if the facility is also quadri-modal, it becomes the « ideal » distribution facility !!!!!!!

waaww, that is a title for sure. It’s not mine, it is the title of the very very interesting report about France’s Distribution and Warehouse markets released by the developer PROLOGIS (the one).
A dozen of pages that give you an extremely good overview of the market in France, history included. I found very good information in it and I can only recommend it at 100%.

One of the conclusions says:
« With its central location and good transportation system, many companies have incorporated markets in France into their pan-European distribution networks. Property investors have profited handsomely from this trend, and can look forward to continued healthy returns in the future. »

I noticed more particularly 4 things :
1. France’s industrial sector accounts for about 13% of the French GDP, about the same as it was 20 years ago despite the global trends toward outsourcing and offshoring. (and that is the case in Western France, where industry is doing really well along with services)
2. France is a central location to include in any pan-European distribution/logistics strategy, connecting the Northern European ports and population centres in the Netherlands and Belgium with those in Southern Europe. (and that is the case with Western France, ideally located for the distribution of UK, France, Spain and Portugal markets.)
3. France did not have any logistics property markets until the early to mid-1990s.
4. France has an ample supply of developable land with low fluctuation in terms of regular market cycles (due to the fact that local municipalities tightly control pricing and release for sale and development). (and that is the case in Western France with land at attractive prices going from 5€/sq.m to 25€/sq.m.)

Get the report => click here

The famous bottles of Cognac are shipped weekly from Cognac to the port of Le Havre by ……. train !
2 trains of 30 cars transport the Cognac bottles every week. The bottles are then shipped to Asia.
The trains come back to Cognac with wood and goods for the retail market.

good to know !!

This is it ! IKEA finally received approval for the implemantation of a logistics platform in Fos-sur-Mer near Marseille. The site should employ about 500 persons within 3 years time.
With a platform in Lyon and Marseille, the Eastern south of France is well supplied by the Swedish group. Further West, there is still room for another platform.

The western part of France hosts about 5 stores among which the store of Nantes which is the 2nd in France in terms of sales (2.7 millions of customers per year !). Our Atlantic seaports (Nantes-Saint Nazaire and La Rochelle) can easily ship and receive the goods with feeder lines from Northern European ports. The Swedish group is welcome anytime !