The industrial real estate sector has taken off this year, driven in large part by the rush by consumers to buy goods online. Some consumers began taking advantage of the service during the first lockdown this spring, while others increased the range of goods they were willing to buy without seeing and touching first. Not surprisingly, many continued to shop this way even after the lockdown was loosened, either because of the convenience or because they were afraid to go back to shopping centers. “It’s true that the boom in e-commerce and the logistics associated with it began in recent years, however, the pandemic has greatly speeded up the process,” Pavel Sovicka of Panattoni told Hospodarske noviny. “The second wave in my opinion will deepen the trend because companies are starting to realize that the virus could be with us for a long time and that lockdowns or various restrictions could come back repeatedly.” In addition to the increase in demand for online retail, traditional customers continue to fill the country’s industrial parks. Hospodarske noviny notes that the tire producer Nexen recently leased 12,000 sqm from CTP in Zatec. “Compared to neighboring Germany, the Czech development market offers a wider range of warehouse space that’s available quickly at a lower price,” the daily was told by Dusan Drabek from BNP Paribas RE.
