New hotspots in the west
The national market for logistics real estate is developing particularly dynamically in western Switzerland. Major projects in the cantons of Valais, Geneva and Vaud are set to begin operations soon. The Gros-de-Vaud region, north of the city of Lausanne, is now the area of the country with the third most freight logistics jobs.
Switzerland offers firms a dense network of logistics properties, boasting a rentable area covering no less than 25 million m². The local market is characterised by sustained dy- namism – even though large e-commerce firms, for example Zalando or Amazon, don’t run their own logistics facilities in Switzerland.
This assessment is corroborated by a logistics real estate report for 2020 released by the developer CBRE. Logistics properties in Switzerland are generally concentrated largely on locations in the central Mittelland region, as well as near motorways and in regions around Basel, Zurich and eastern Switzerland.
Geneva the exception
CBRE’s report shows that there’s a lot of promise in French-speaking Switzerland too. Last year the supply of logistics space in the country as a whole rose from 390,000 to 465,000 m². The French-speaking cities of Geneva and Lausanne scored particularly highly with their extensive supply of facilities on the day of deadline in August 2019.
The canton of Geneva was conspicuously strong. In 2018 a total of 7,600 m² was available for letting; by 2019 the supply had grown impressively to 44,600 m². However, a large part of this supply was accounted for by two buildings on the Zimeysa industrial estate in the Genevan municipalities of Meyrin and Satigny, which in the meantime have been let. There were also lesser increases in the cantons of Neuchâtel and Fribourg; vacant space available in Fribourg and Vaud fell slightly, however.
New facilities nearing completion
Investment in new or expanded logistics facilities has increased in recent years, particularly in the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. The commissioning of Planzer’s new railway centre in Penthalaz was one highlight, as was the establishment of a new Camion Transport cargo centre in Vufflens-la-Ville, in the canton of Vaud (see page 17 of ITJ 35-36 / 2018).
The pipeline is full in western Switzerland, however, with a few facilities set to open soon. For example there is Swiss Post’s parcel centre in Vétroz, in the canton of Valais, and the expansion of a Zumwald Transports logistics centre in Avenches. Over and above this the Compagnie des Parcs is constructing a new building covering more than 20,000 m² in Meyrin, in the canton of Geneva.
In recent years the canton of Vaud has enjoyed increasing popularity among investors in logistics real estate facilities. 2002 to 2009 saw a ‘mere’ CHF 388 million invested in logistics real estate in Vaud; between 2010 and 2017 it then rose to total of CHF 723 million.
Overtaking the top logistics location
No other canton recorded equally steep developments; more money was only invested in the Zurich area. Vaud even overtook the canton of Aargau, considered the country’s prime logistics canton. The Gros-de-Vaud region north of Lausanne has garnered an increasingly strong role as a key Vaudois logistics location. The area scores with low land prices, good transport links and its proximity to both the Arc Lémanique as well as to German-speaking Switzerland.
Gros-de-Vaud is now the region with the third-largest proportion of jobs in cargo logistics in Switzerland (9.1%). This figure is only higher in the regions of Willisau, in the canton of Lucerne, and in Olten, in the canton of Solothurn. This development shows that Vaud is one of the crucial regions for Swiss logisticians; it is likely to further strengthen its position over the coming years.